Spain’s top 40 Tempranillo wines

We asked Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, who writes below, and Sarah Jane Evans MW, to recommend the 40 best Tempranillo wines they could find…

Tempranillo is the grape variety most commonly associated with Spain. It’s a grape that has risen from relative anonymity in just a few decades to be the key variety in Spain’s finest wine regions, with its popularity now beginning to spread further afield. There are several reasons for such visibility.

First, it is the main grape in most of the greatest wines from Rioja, Spain’s fine wine flagship. Then, it is the raw material in many other appellations, going by many synonyms: Cencibel in Castilla- La Mancha, Tinta Fina in Ribera del Duero, Tinta de Toro, Tinta de Madrid, Ull de Llebre in Catalonia…

It is indeed the most planted red variety in Spain (203,226ha in 2017).

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However, at the end of last century Tempranillo was less planted than Garnacha or Bobal. The variety’s rise is closely associated with Spain’s expansion in international wine markets. Thanks to Rioja, Tempranillo became associated with fine wine, while the other varieties were (unfairly) dismissed as lesser ones. Wines labelled as Tempranillo were more likely to be accepted.As a consequence, many hectares of other varieties were grubbed up in favour of Tempranillo plantings, and now it is even emerging as a star in New World countries.

Such ubiquity has little to do with the quality potential of Tempranillo – it is quite demanding in terms of climate, soil and viticulture if it’s to deliver quality. Tempranillo ripens early; it is a cool-climate variety. In warm climates, it tends to result in flabbiness and cooked fruit aromas. The variety is also sensitive to autumn rains: the grapes absorb much water when ripe. Besides, it needs low yields to reach balance and great fruit intensity; it is poorly adapted to intensive culture.

As an international variety, Tempranillo is more akin to Pinot Noir than to Cabernet Sauvignon. It is indeed a great conveyor of terroir expressions. Tempranillo excels as a single variety in a few places, usually with old bush vines. More often, Tempranillo delivers its best when blended with other varieties: Viura, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) in Rioja; Garnacha in Toro; Albillo, Cabernet and others in Ribera del Duero.

The best Tempranillo-based wines keep and improve for many years: wines from the 1870s are now in pristine shape. This is, in my view, the most important quality of Tempranillo.

In order to achieve such potential, vines should be planted in appropriate sites and render low yields, grapes should not be overripe, and the wine needs to be made with a long-term perspective.

Oak

The best Tempranillo is also inextricably linked with oak ageing. With good reason, ageing time (or, more appropriately, crianza – nurturing time) has traditionally been a quality indicator in the Spanish legislation. Because of that, Rioja has the world’s largest stock of oak barrels, and all other regions producing quality Tempranillo also use barriques.

Tempranillo’s tasting profiles vary as much as its origins, though there are a few common traits. Most wines are intensely aromatic, with red or black berry notes, spice and floral tones. They are moderate in acidity and quite rich in mellow tannins. Then, each wine will express its own conditions of origin and making – some of them will become unforgettable.

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW is the DWWA Regional co-Chair for Spain and is on the governing board of the Spanish Tasters’ Union

Sarah Jane Evans MW is co-Chair of the DWWA and author of The Wines of Northern Spain (£30, Infinite Ideas)

Pedro and Sarah’s top 40 Spanish Tempranillo wines:

Rioja renegades: 10 producers writing their own rules Priorat in-depth and great reds to try – Andrew Jefford Quality Rioja 2010: Panel tasting results Top 10 winery hotels in Spain Best Cava sparkling wines from top producers

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Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW is a Decanter contributor and joint Regional Chair for Spain at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 alongside Ferran Centelles. He has studied around the world, including Spain, France, USA and Germany. He holds a degree in agro-food engineering and a masters in viticulture and oenology among his qualifications. A columnist for magazines in Spain and Belgium, he works in four languages. He sits at the governing board of the Unión Española de Catadores (the Spanish wine tasters’ union), the board of the International Federation of Wine and Spirit Journalists and Writers, the wine committee of the Basque Culinary Centre, and acts as expert at the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). He is a VIA Certified Italian Wine Ambassador, a member of Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and has been awarded the Spanish Command Order of Agricultural Merit.

Scroll down for Pedro and Sarah’s top 40 Spanish Tempranillo wines

Oak

Pedro and Sarah’s top 40 Spanish Tempranillo wines:

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Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y Léon, Spain, 2008

Viñedos de Páganos, La Nieta, Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain, 2015

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Legaris, Alcubilla de Avellaneda, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y Léon, Spain, 2015

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Alfredo Maestro, Viña Almate La Guindalera, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, Castilla y Léon, Spain, 2016

Alonso del Yerro, María, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y Léon, Spain, 2012

Arínzano, La Casona, Navarra, Northern Spain, Spain, 2010

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