Quinta Milú La Cometa 2012

Spanish synonyms for Tempranillo are Tinto del Toro, Tinta Fina, Tinto del Pais. They sound so majestic, that I wine lover just mustn’t pass up the opportunity to at least take a hint-sip of its liquid. When talking about its characteristics, Tempranillo has fairly thin skins (which make it susceptible to rot and mold in the vineyard) and remarkable anthocyanin levels, which provide deep colour and medium-high tannins. The wines are not sweet-driven, but rather produced to please the fans of spicy masculinity. Therefore, they are aged in oak 99% of the time and, as a result, rewarded with greater complexity.

Ribera’s Quinta Milú is a micro winery committed to old traditions and biodynamic viticulture in which winemaker Germán R. Blanco produces wines from old Tempranillo vines and uses different types and sizes of casks and barrels. His vineyards are blessed by the region’s natural surroundings including the Duero River (providing irrigation and a smooth cooling effect) and the inland mountain ranges which create a high diurnal range, leading to optimum balances of aromas and other chemical compounds in the grapes.

Appearance: Clear deep violet

Nose: Clean, medium. Pretty reductive on the first sniff, but after some decanting, this disappears and fuses into notes of blueberry, black currant, dried plum, leather and Mediterranean spices.

Palate: Dry with high acidity, tannins and alcohol. Very well-balanced. The aging potential of the 2012 is decent (thanks to the dry conditions contributing to high tannins and deep concentration), it has a long finish and a nice balance, but lacks in complexity (mostly primary notes dominate, where secondary aromas of vanilla and toast are pretty coy). Definitely needs more strength as well to be something more than “an interesting wine”.

Price: 106 KN

Score: 87/100