Torremillanos Ribera del Duero 2006

Torremilanos 2006
Region: Ribera del Duero D.O. Winery: FINCA TORREMILANOS

Grapes: 100% Tempranillo
Vintage: 2006
Color: Red

Made solely from estate grown fruit which is wire trained, Guyot pruned. The vines range in age from 18 to 25 years and are farmed organically. There are 55 hectares of vineyard used for the production of this wine, with 40 different parcels combined into 10 fermentation tanks. Winemaker Ricardo Peñalba sees this area of vineyard nearly as a mini-D.O. unto itself, as the vineyard gains elevation from 800 to past 900 meters there is a great variety of change in soils and mesoclimates. Soils include sections of chalk, limestone, clay and sandy subsoils.

2006 saw a change in the labelling of this wine with the removal of the term Crianza. There were a number of reasons for the change, among them the aging of this wine far exceeds minimum aging requirements for Crianza as well as a reference to this as the “first” wine of this historic estate; Finca Torremilanos.

The wine was fermented with native yeast in different tanks based on terrain, altitude, slope, and soil composition. The wine spent a total of 9 days on skins with 4-5 of those days being pre-fermentation. Malolactic fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was racked to barrels and a preliminary blend was created. Depending on the vintage, different oak or time in oak may be used, in 2006 the wine spent 23 months in French oak barrels, which were coopered at the winery.

Reviews:
The Wine Advocate, 90+ points.
The 2006 Torremilanos is 100% Tempranillo from younger vines that spent 23 months in French oak. Purple in color, it exhibits an already complex bouquet of cigar box, violets, mineral, espresso, and blackberry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, elegant wine with serious depth and concentration. The wine’s savory black fruits, earth notes, and spice linger for over 30 seconds. Give this outstanding effort another 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it from 2012 to 2021.
Issue 188, April 2010

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 90 points.
Opaque ruby. Exotically perfumed scents of blackberry, boysenberry, incense and cocoa powder, with a sexy floral quality gaining strength as the wine opens in the glass. Plush, sappy, penetrating dark fruit and floral flavors are given spine by juicy acidity, picking up a spicy note on the back half. A hint of singed plum appears on the warm, lingering finish. This is ready to drink.
Issue 152, Sept/Oct 2010

Wine Spectator, 89 points.
Ripe black cherry and blackberry flavors are framed by dark chocolate, licorice and fig pudding notes in this firm red. The chewy tannins are a bit rustic, but the wine has depth. Best from 2011 through 2016.
Issue 353, June 15, 2010

International Wine Review, 91 points.
The 2006 dark ruby Torremilanos is 100% Tempranillo. Sourced from young vines, it reveals an earthy nose of black cherry fruit and is soft on the attack with a velvet smooth texture and dark red fruit, tobacco and charred oak flavors on the palate. Aged for 23 months in French barriques, it displays good depth and concentration, round tannins and a pleasantly long finish.
Issue 23, June 2010