2019 Dominio de Atauta "La Celestina" Crianza Ribera del Duero

Colour: deep cherry Aroma: ripe fruit, dried herbs, creamy oak Flavour: powerful, ripe fruit, spicy, round tannins

Dominio de Atuata was the first nerdy Ribera del Duero that I had. It should not surprise you that I loved it. This was a wine that had such a pure expression of Tempranillo that I had to stop and pay attention. Not to mention that the wine making had more in common with avante garde wines that were being made in the Loire and the Rhone at the time. That was an exciting wine. It was one of the first wines that I had pointed to what was to come from Spain. That was 20 vintages ago! ******* The pleasure and the excitement that I felt when trying that wine all those years ago when trying wine from this producer still exists. What I love about this wine is how I was caught off guard with this wine. This wine is not challenging the status quo. Dominio de Atauta has been so successful for so long that they have changed what the status quo is. That being said, this is not avante garde, this is conventional, in the best possible way. This is a wine for everyone. I love this expression of Tempranillo. Cooler climate, high elevation Tempranillo. What does that mean, this is that beautiful dark fruited Tempranillo, lifted blackberries, plums, dark cherries, a hint of dark chocolate, oak spice (sweet and savory), and with a dusty, floral, herbal backnote. This smells like what I want Ribera del Duero to smell like! On the palate the fruit really comes to the forefront. More cherries but plenty of dark fruit too. It is full bodied. The tannins are present, restrained, managed and polished. That fruit rests on top of them, there is a charming mid-palate roundness. There is a brightness and ease to it. Just beneath the tannins the terroir really jumps out. It has that distinct limestone minerality unique to Ribera del Duero. The wine finishes cleanly, you are left with fading dark fruits and a faint dusty windblown herbal quality. This is a Red that just wants to be drunk. It is a grab another bottle, we don’t need to leave just yet kind of red.