Protos Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Some of the oldest ungrafted vines in the Ribera appellation, combined with two years of traditional barrel aging ensure that this is an instant classic year in and year out!
Varietal Composition: 100% Tempranillo
Elaboration: 24 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels and 36 months in the bottle. Produced only in excellent vintages. Hand-picking harvest in 20kg crates. Sorting table. Skin contact maceration and fermentation of 28 days at 28 degrees Celsius.
Tasting Notes: Deep cherry color, bright and intense. Expressive, powerful, complex, elegant, roasted coffee, dark chocolate and candied fruit nose. And at taste fleshy, powerful, spirituous, creamy, spicy with a lingering finish.
PRESS
2011 – 93 Wine Enthusiast | 94 James Suckling
2012 – 91 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Decanter | 92 Vinous | 93 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The name Protos comes from the Greek work for “first.” While Protos has several peers in the upper echelons of cult Ribera del Duero, it is difficult to argue whether or not Protos is the region’s most iconic winery – “Ribera del Duero” was literally the winery’s brand name until 1982, when Protos gifted the name to the rest of the region, allowing for the creation of the now revered Ribera del Duero appellation. The winery sits at the base of the symbolic Penafiel castle that identifies the region.
For the visitor Protos offers as dynamic an experience as they come – Walk in one direction and you can snake through miles and miles of underground cellars, walk in another and you are in the stunning new winery space designed by famed architect Richard Rogers.