Matallana 2014 (x6)

The only wine produced for now in Ribera del Duero is the 2014 Matallana, a wine that has the same name as the previous 2013, but in reality, it's as if it's a completely new wine. It's a blend of nine vineyards in five villages—Sotillo, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla—inspired by the old Vega Sicilia wines and the wines from Gérard Chave in Hermitage where he used to do a blend of soils. I see a line of continuity with the 2013, where I noticed a fresher and more elegant wine, but now they have added more vineyards, so it's like adding new colors to the palette or more pieces to the puzzle, which allows them to do a better selection, as they only produce one wine with the best grapes from all their vineyards. It fermented in 3,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It's a very elegant and fine red, with complexity and subtleness (perhaps from the blend of grapes, as it's 85% Tempranillo and has some 15% of other varieties). The palate is also extremely elegant and refined, reflecting a good year with a long growing season. The tannins are very fine, and it finishes long and dry. 14,965 bottles produced. - Luis Gutiérrez. 

Aromas of blackberries and black licorice with hints of dark, wet earth. A full and chewy red with lots of crushed berries and wet earth with hints of dark chocolate. The first release from Telmo Rodriguez in Duero of a blend of vineyards. Excellent. Needs two or three years of bottle age.