Protos Ribera del Duero Reserva
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Old vine Ribera del Duero Reserva from the appellation’s most iconic producer!
Varietal Composition: 100% Tempranillo
Elaboration: 18 months in French (2/3) and American (1/3) oak barrels and 18 months in the bottle. Hand-picking harvest in 20kg crates. Sorting table. Skin contact maceration and fermentation of 24 days at 28 degrees Celsius.
Tasting Notes: Intense bright dark cherry color with garnet rim. Powerful nose to black fruits with nice toasty notes, spicy, creamy oak, complex and elegant. And at the palate very powerful, flavorful, toasty, round tannins, good acidity, fruity and spicy. Good backbone and lingering finish.
PRESS
2011 – 92 Wine Enthusiast | 90 Wine Advocate | 90 Wine Spectator | 91 James Suckling | 92 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Vinous
2012 – 90 Wine Enthusiast | 91 Wine Spectator
2013 – 90 Wine & Spirits | 90 Vinous | 91 Wine Enthusiast | 91 Decanter (WWA)
2014 – 90 Wine & Spirits | 91 James Suckling
2015 – 92 Vinous
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.