Not so long ago, the lusciously textured Tempranillo wines of Ribera del Duero were Spain’s critical and commercial darlings, many of them styled (and priced) like California “cult” bottlings. The intense concentration and new oak polish of these wines was (and is) not without its appeal, let’s face it—but the partners behind Malcaracter have a different style in mind. Maybe that’s why they named their project “Malcaracter” in the first place: They are outlaws of a sort, aiming for elegance, freshness, and terroir transparency in their wines rather than brute force (they say the name is “a tribute to the Castilian temperament”). After falling head over heels for the 2018 vintage of “Limited,” we were thrilled when the ’19 landed on our tasting table recently. Needless to say, it did not disappoint—in fact, it’s hard to remember a more soulful, soil-driven expression of Ribera del Duero. Do not miss this!
As we said when we offered the 2018: Come for the dark, brambly fruit that made the region famous, stay for the energy and tension its “new-generation” interpreters have discovered. Malcaracter was founded by Spanish wine exporters Cecilia Puebla and Nacho Gutierrez, who found themselves struggling to find a Ribera del Duero house they wanted to work with—so
they decided to make their own wine, from nearly 100-year-old head-trained vines in the town of Gumiel de Mercado.
Sand, silt, marl, and limestone characterize the soils of the high-altitude meseta (plateau) that is the Ribera del Duero, in north-central Spain. Following the path of the Duero River (which becomes the Douro when it passes into Portugal to the west), the region is known for dramatic diurnal temperature swings, which help lengthen the growing season and preserve acidity in the otherwise ultra-ripe grapes. The best vineyards here sit at elevations exceeding 2,500 feet.
In a category dominated by luxury-tier wines, “Limited” is a welcome departure in both style and price. It is fermented in concrete vats using only ambient yeasts, then aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. It contains 100% Tempranillo sourced from old, bush-trained vines near Burgos, which sit at around 800 meters in altitude. The wine’s modest alcohol is noteworthy in a region known for richly concentrated reds.
This is not to say the wine is “light,” by any stretch: Deep, opaque purple in the glass, with lots of blackberry, blueberry, plum, violet, anise, and a hint of pipe tobacco, it is warm and inviting on the palate, with a fantastic kick of limestone-y tension providing verve and length. Deep, dark fruits continue, leaning into the blackberry and blueberry tones, alongside a hint of black pepper, framed by beautiful freshness and fine-grained tannins. This is perfect for any hearty meat dish, but will sing with morcilla (Spanish blood sausage). Serve slightly chilled (55-60 degrees) in Bordeaux glasses and re-acquaint yourself with great Tempranillo. ¡Salud!
