Why I love Spain: Monte Castrillo from Ribera del Duero

We invited our lovely friends MAF and MG over the other evening for some wine, cheese, and tawdry gossip and broke out a bottle from Ribera del Duero, one of my favorite regions in Spain.

Located just north of Madrid, this region is near a river but on a really high plateau so it doesn't have as much warming influence from the water. Its inland location makes it subject to temperature extremes, but the vines of Ribera del Duero know how to get around all that mother nature throws their way, and as a result the area produces some tasty grapes. In the hands of the right winemaker you can get lights-out-amazing vino. Case in point: Ribera del Duero is home to Vega Sicilia, one of Spain's most prestigious wines.

Never fear though, as this is Wine for Normal People, there are options outside of the expensive stuff and if you can't spend the coin for the high-end there are a ton of great values from Ribera del Duero, mostly made from Tempranillo with splashes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha (Grenache), Merlot, and a few other blending grapes. If you want a wine with lusciousness, earth, and elegance, and something that will warm you up on a cold night go for a wine from this region.

The wine we had was Monte Castrillo from the producer Finca Torremilanos. The winery is known for its lux hotel on the property, but also for turning out delicious Tempranillo-based wines (in Ribera del Duero Tempranillo is actually called Tinto Fino, but it's the same stuff). Better still, on my quest to find more organically grown wines that are delicious, I have found a friend here. The fruit for this baby is all farmed organically on 30 separate vineyard plots.

Here's the run-down:
The Wine: Monte Castrillo from Finca Torremilanos
Where It's From: Ribera del Duero, Spain
The Grapes: 90% Tempranillo (Tinta Fino), 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Price: $12.99

Color: Rich plum tones highlight the rim, but this wine is a purple-black. Gorgeous.

Smell: The aroma of the Monte Castrillo was so subtle but also so mouthwatering! It completely rocked. Raspberry, ripe black plum, and a touch of black pepper were noticeable, but kind of weaved in with a smell of a dusty country road. The earth, fruit, and spice together were so appetizing I could barely wait to taste it!

Taste: Yum. The Monte Castrillo is like a tall, dark, and handsome man. Easy on the eyes, suave, yet strong and slightly brooding. If Cabernet is the Johnny Depp of wine (deep, transformative, multi-layered, super-brooding), this wine is a little lighter so it's more like maybe Christian Bale from the Dark Knight (pre-freak out on that YouTube vid).

To put it in wine terms, I think this wine is the perfect combination of softness, raspberry fruit flavor, spicy pepper, and dustiness with a great underlying note of stand-up tannin that saves it from being flabby or watery. The second wave of flavor is like a raspberry bramble -- there's a dried herbal mix that underlies the fruit and is unbelievably delicious.

Food: Surprisingly this went very well with the hard cheese that we ate (it was a little less good with the soft cheese, but that's really the province of white wine, so it's ok that it didn't pair). I think an even better match would be grilled foods with delicate spices. Something roasted with an herb rub and an earthy quality may be the perfect complement. I bet this would be a winner with tapas too -- just a hunch that paella and salty Spanish ham may be winners with this native son of a wine!

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink, and drink often. This is definitely on the greatest hits list for me for the money. Look out for more reviews on Ribera del Duero from me. This has gotten me back on the kick, and just in time for the cooler weather! Rock on RdD!