Dominio de Atauta’s flagship wine is crafted from ancient vineyards aged between 120 and 160 years old. These ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines are so low yielding, they produce less than one bottle per vine. In most winegrowing regions of the world, these vines would’ve been replaced decades ago in favor of younger, higher-yielding vines, but the preservation efforts at Dominio de Atauta have created something truly special for wine drinkers – the ability to step back into time and drink Tempranillo clones as they existed generations ago. The resulting wine is intensely concentrated, with a huge amount of density as you might expect, but the high elevation of the area and comparatively cool climate also give the wine an equal amount of elegance. Imagine a master ballerina, graceful and nimble, but powered by sheer muscle and grit. The wine is firmly structured, and would benefit from decanting, but is refreshingly bright on the palate, with juicy blackberry and red currant notes. With 14 months of aging in just 15% new French oak, the main characteristic of the wine is the brooding, dark fruit and fine-grained structure. Supremely sophisticated, this wine offers a compelling alternative viewpoint to a classic region.

Far and away my favorite Ribera Del Duero of the year, so far. My first note written during the tasting is "excellent depth!". This is a biggie! Very dark-fruited and definitely geared towards blacker fruits and supple tannins. There are also layers of cinnamon, cardamon, anise and the tiniest bit of black pepper. The tannins do linger on the finish, even with the very generous mouthfeel. I tasted it at the beginning and the end of the day. A thorough decanting brings the fruit even further out. It can also be an excellent selection for the cellar!

The florals on this are going crazy with a few hours open and it's got this really perfumed red fruit thing going on that I am totally vibing with right now. The fruit is pretty and ripe and really plush on the nose, with the perfume giving it this kind of glossy aura. It makes sense in my head. Gosh it is a deep one too, dark and inviting. There's some really good structure with moderate tannins and really nice acidity framing the really pretty and dark fruit, this is really interesting as it's bigger than wines I often like, but I really am just into it right now.