2010 Bodegas J.A. Calvo Casajus Vendimia Seleccionada Ribera del Deuro

Bodegas y Viñedos J.A. Calvo Casajús is in Quintana de Pidio, a village north of the Duero River. The estate was started in 1993 when José Alberto Calvo Casajús decided to leave the local wine cooperative and make his own wine. Casajús descends from many generations of grape growers on both sides of his family and he owns 50 acres of vineyards. Most of the vines are more than 50 years old, and some are nearly 100 years old. The estate makes Tempranillo-based wines. The wines have earned compliments and ratings in the low- to mid-90s from Wine Advocate, which noted that the “is literally a one man undertaking with Casajús also doubling as his village’s baker. His grandfather planted the estate’s Tempranillo vines in 1920. This wine is produced from these vineyards.”

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.

Think leather and cherries together for Tempranillo wines. This wine looks lighter than it is. It can be medium or full bodied, but its thin-skinned, big grapes, give it a more transparent appearance. It is grown in Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and Australia.