2015 Galia "Le Dean" Tierra de Castilla y León

Staff Reviews

KW

Kirk Walker

Kirk Walker

This is could be the best Ribera del Duero on the shelf, but it is not labeled as such. Before we get bogged down with the details, this wine is stunning. It has mouth-watering aromatics. It smells as if it has every flavor sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory, it is very striking. You almost want to take a bite out of it more than drink it, almost. That dark Tempranillo fruit hits the perfect balance of a blackberry; almost juicy with sweetness and enough acidic bite to make it pop. There is a savory umami thing that darkens the fruit and a whiff of oak and dusting minerality to hit the salty and bitter elements. The nose is so much fun! The palate is serious. This is a grand wine with a great deal of presence but impeccably balanced. It has everything, texture, fruit, tannin, spice, earth minerality and a finish that goes and goes and goes. This is a wine that demands attention yet is still fun. Drink it tonight with something rich and hearty. It will also benefit from some time in your cellar.

Notes

Home to Vega Sicilia, one of the world's most iconic wine estates, Ribera del Duero has been producing wine for at least 150 years, but only got its DO status in 1982. It's also home to a relatively new producer called Galia. This is Jerôme Bougnaud's project. Not familiar? He has worked with one of Duero's biggest names in Peter Sissek of Pingus and Quinta Sardonia. During that time, he began work on his own project by seeking out small, old-vine parcels at elevations between 750 and 1000 feet on calcareous soils, some almost 100 years old. Predominantly Tempranillo with a bit of Garnacha and Albillo, many of the vines are ungrafted. The raw material going into these wines is amazing. Small proportions of new oak are used, as well as a slight percentage of whole clusters. These are wines of purity and power with dazzling aromatics and seductive length. All of their wines are Vino de Mesa even though they could technically be classified as Ribera del Duero DO. This is not a criticism of the region, but rather an elevation of the sites outside of it.