2004 Arzuaga Reserva Ribeira del Duero Spain
Suggested retail price $52-$58
Importer / Distributor Noble House Wines
Founded in 1980 by Don Florentino Arzuaga when he acquired a piece of land in the heart of Ribera del Duero in a town called Quintanilla de Onesimo. The property is now known as “Finca La Planta”. It has a farm with deers and other wild animals. And the gargantuan building encompasses an hotel, a spa and the winery itself surrounded by vineyards.
From 1982 to 1985 the first vines were planted, and in 1993 the first bottlings were marketed internationally under the Arzuaga label. In 1995, winemaker Juan Carlos Martínez tookover at Arzuaga after woking closely with winemaking legend Mariano García. Arzuaga produces five wines from 150 hectares of their own vineyards, consisting primarily of the varietals Tempranillo (Tinto Fino), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Owned by the Arzuaga Navarro, Azienda Arzuagua is a traditionalist, Terroir oriented and organically farmed winery neighboring Vega Sicilia and producing earthy, intense and aged worthy Ribera del Duero. Ignacio Arzuaga, the current director, is a great guy that met many times in New York and a few times at the winery. His wines are like him: big, earthy and generous with nuances and depth and a good sense of humor. The wines are made by a skilled and passionate young winemaker named Pascal Oscar Navarro. The 2004 Reserva is surely one of their most accomplished wines of this decade.
The resulting wine is deep dark red in color, smooth and complex on the nose offering both dark and red cherry aromas as well as a woodiness. It is rich on the palate with present yet integrated tannins and still retains its fresh pure fruit characteristics complementing its rich, dense and earthy palate. Still very young and promising, keep it for a little while or decant to better appreciate it.
Enjoy!
LeDom du Vin
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Great review! If it is ok with you, I am going to post this on the Drink Ribera Drink Spain facebook page (http://facebook.drinkriberawine.com)
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment and thank you for posting it on your Facebook account. I personally love Spain and most of its wines from north to south and east to west. I've been many times to Spain and more particularly Ribera del Duero and Rioja. You'll find many other Spanish wine posts on my blog. I used to be the wine buyer and wine director of www.PJWine.com and the Grand Tasting is always a great Tasting with many mesmerizing wines. I would love to be there but it won't be possible, however have fun, it is worth it. Their Spanish wine festival is one of the greatest in town too.
LeDomduVin