Matallana Ribera del Duero

96P+: The Ribera del Duero project has been changing and a work in progress for a while, and there's currently only one wine produced, of which I tasted the 2015 Matallana. They want to go back to the tradition of blending different vineyards and villages (in their case, Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla) to produce one great wine as showcased by pioneers like Pesquera, Teófilo Reyes and Valsotillo. 2015 was a low-yielding year because it rained during flowering, causing a poor setting of fruit, mostly Tempranillo but, like all the old vineyards, with perhaps up to 15% other varieties such as Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and even white Albillo. The vineyards are worked organically, and their grapes fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts, followed by 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. What came to my mind when I put my nose in the glass was, "oh, a Ribera like the ones from yesteryear!" It has rusticity and ripeness, character, austerity, nuance, detail and complexity. It's medium to full-bodied with surprising balance and is seamless, harmonious and compact, with focused and pure flavors that are velvety and tasty. This has to be the finest vintage to date.