2004 J.C. Conde Neo Punta Esencia

Bodegas Neo is one of the hottest wineries in northern Spain. It was started in the late 1990s by a half dozen young people, all friends. They spent time together in cafés and at concerts, and had known each other in school. One of them Isaac Fernández Montaña, had graduated from Spain’s most prestigious oenology school, so the group decided to start their own winery. Within a few years their Tempranillo wines were earning complimentary reviews. Robert M. Parker Jr. has described some Neo wines as “More similar to a Bordeaux first or second-growth than a Spanish Ribera del Duero…” With an ultra-modern new winery and work facility, the gang of owners and employees does it all, from making the wine to designing their labels. They also have a recording studio on site, since several are musicians. Along with a line-up of Tempranillos, Bodegas Neo makes Verdejo and a rosé. The estate previously called itself Bodegas Y Vinedos Conde-Neo, but shortened the name to Bodegas Neo.

Ribera del Duero is, in the words of wine writer Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, “the modern red wine miracle of northern Spain.” In 2012 Wine Enthusiast magazine named it the international wine region of the year. The appellation is a high, rocky plateau in north/central Spain that follows the Duero River for 60 miles before the river passes into Portugal, where it becomes the famous Douro River, then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. There are more than 60,000 vineyard acres in the appellation and only red wines are produced under appellations regulations. Low rainfall, hot days, many hours of sunlight and harsh winters produce grapes of great depth and flavor. Ribera de Duero’s reputation owes much to Vega Sicilia, a 150-year old estate known both for its excellent traditional red wines and its willingness to innovate with the times. Tempranillo, known locally as Tinto Fino, is the dominant red grape in the appellation, and it is often blended with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Merlot. The highly acclaimed Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, world famous for its Tinto Pesquera, is also in Ribera del Duero. The appellation status was awarded in 1982.