Decanter World Wine AwardsRibera del Duero panel critical, despite medal haul
- Wednesday 2 November 2011
Decanter tasters worked their way through 106 wines from the 2007 vintage – rated ‘muy buena’ by the local Consejo. While the results weren’t disastrous – two wines were awarded five stars, and 21 achieved a four-star rating – several tasters were heavily critical of many of the wines.
Pierre Mansour, Spanish wine buyer for The Wine Society, was the most outspoken. ‘For a region that bills itself as a top fine wine region in Spain, I didn’t expect to see so many poor wines,’ he said. ‘I genuinely found very few exciting wines. I’d go so far as saying this was probably the most disappointing panel tasting I’ve done at Decanter.’
Fellow judge Juan Carlos Rincón confessed: ‘I expected better. We’re dealing with a place that has a reputation, a place that has had a lot of investment. But many of the crianza wines, in particular, were disappointing.’
Sarah Jane Evans MW, the regional chair for Spain at the Decanter World Wine Awards, said the problem lay in an inconsistency of style: ‘Every time I go to a Ribera tasting, I’m expecting confusion. I’m wondering if I will really know that this is Ribera Del Duero – there’s a lot of work going on, money being spent, flashy wineries, but can I tell where these come from?’
Mansour felt that over-use of oak was one of the main problems. ‘There were times when I questioned whether I was at an oak tasting not a wine tasting. A lot of my notes questioned “where’s the fruit?” There was some very glamorous, expensive wine making, but the wines were over made. The oak was far too dominant.’
Veteran Spanish commentator John Radford agreed, saying that ‘there are winemakers who think that new French oak is the panacea for everything – if you’re not quite happy with the wine let’s give it 12 months in new French oak and that will sort it out. It doesn’t.
‘This been an endemic problem in Spain for many years, not just Ribera Del Duero,’ he added. Overall, though, he wasn’t as critical as other tasters, observing that the vintage conditions meant that ‘the wines produced are earlier drinking…’ and ‘ bearing in mind that it wasn’t such a good year as 2005, for example, I thought wines of this ilk showed well.’
The full results of the tasting are available in the December issue of Decanter, on sale now. Subscribe to Decanter this month and save up to 44%
Have your say!
jayne from spain
November 03 18:05
now having read youe comment I have tosay that I am in agreement with the comments_pg_Decanter.Ribera del Duero it still living on the back of a few really good wines that come from this region , it has gone the same way as La Rioja unfortunately. Some of the really good wines are coming from other regions I know as I live in MADRID and go a tasting nearly every week. Look for Campo De Borja ( syrah), and Jumilla, (Juan Gil ) Priorat has been for a long time my favorite D.O. but it is now very expensive , but other regions are making great advances especially Toledo Vallegarcia and Marques de Griñon etc
agustin pulido ramirez
November 03 15:07
well! are all the frenchs or italians gourmet stuff?-Not quite! this puntual "disappoiment" with the Ribera might occur universally...hard to prove though since we cant drink them all. Let alone having the proper state of mind permanently...Was GOYA admired through history in the same way...Some do rather Velázquez...To be not to be!Still may we not forget that el ribera del duero is already a classic on his own right.
James Swann, Ditton Wine Traders
November 03 12:38
The investment boom is key to understanding Ribera del Duero.
When the potential to make high-quality wines was fully realised in the 1980s the region saw much inward investment and was promoted politically.
However, such was the expansion that this was often done in places of questionable suitability, such as over-productive land.
An FT article at the time pointed out that we would have to wait 20 years to know the results.
However, the heart of the Duero region and its higher, easterly and far less planted reaches around Soria remain a place that can produce red wines that are both high quality and distinct.
Greg Shaw
November 03 10:52
I love the wines of Ribera and though it is disappointing to read the comments I'm not particularly surprised. For a couple of years now my company Hawkshead Wines has been looking out for Ribera wines that deliver on quality and value. Whilst the best wines are very good - and priced accordingly - the majority have lacked any real character or individuality. Given the relatively high prices charged the region needs to raise its game or it will be eclpised by new regions like Bierzo and Somontano.