There was a time, about 20 years ago, when the wines of Ribera del Duero seemed poised to supplant Rioja as Spain’s most acclaimed vine growing region. But riding the coattails of Vega Sicilia, one of the most famous wines in the world, and producing blockbuster bottles with high octane scores faded rather quickly. Now, finally, the old traditions are being seamlessly integrated into modern innovations, and the best wines are better than ever. Jesús Sastre is one of the top talents leading this charge, and today’s soulful, powerful, deeply complex Reserva is a prime example of Ribera’s newfound ascendancy. With six years of aging in barrel and bottle, this robust, regal red is ready to rock right now, but give it five or ten years of cellaring and it will blossom into a truly world class wine. All of that for a cool fifty bucks!?! Time to stock up.
The Sastres go back at many generations in their village of La Horra: Jesús’s grandfather was one of the founding members of a local winemaking cooperative, and his father, Rafael, founded the family winery in 1992 (before they started their own label, the family sold fruit to Vega Sicilia, which is just 25 miles down the road). Jesús Sastre and his brother, Pedro, worked side-by-side until Pedro was killed in a car wreck in 2002, leaving Jesús in charge of the estates 47 hectares of vineyards in La Horra and nearby Roa. Although he has not sought official certification, Sastre has farmed organically and biodynamically since Viña Sastre’s creation; he’s sitting on a treasure trove of old, bush-trained vines that are essentially family heirlooms, including a few prize parcels of vines that were all planted in 1964 (yup, 60 years old this year!) on the classic soils of clay and limestone that make the best wines of La Horra, and Ribera del Duero writ large.
One of the big markers sommeliers look for when attempting to identify Tempranillo wines “blind” is evidence that the wine aged in American oak barrels, which tend to impart notes of coconut and dill to the wine (especially when new barrels are used). Overall, a lot of the discussion about Ribera del Duero (and Rioja too of course) is focused on oak, which I think is unfortunate: Not only have a lot of producers opted to load their wines up with new oak, but the specialness of the Ribera del Duero terroir is being overlooked. While the Sastre “Reserva” has plenty of oak aging–both American and French–it’s the magical combination of richness and finesse that had us re-assessing this region. This is the home of Vega Sicilia, after all, which this wine pays homage to with its crushed-velvet texture and saturated fruit.
Crafted from 100% Tempranillo (called Tinto Fino or Tinta del País in Ribera del Duero), today’s Reserva was aged for 14 months in a combination of French and American barrels ranging in size from 225 liters to 1,000. It has a dark ruby-garnet hue in the glass, with a broad range of aromas that emerge as the wine takes on air: scents of black currant, kirsch, cassis, anise, lavender, tobacco, mocha, espresso grounds, and baking spices carry over to the full-bodied palate, which has a very compact, focused feel. The time in oak is still evident but it is beginning to integrate in a wine that still has a good 15-20 years of delicious evolution ahead of it. I can’t stress enough how balanced and elegant this wine is, it is the perfect re-introduction to a region that may have lost its way for a bit, but is now turning to people like Jesús for a welcomed course correction! Decant it at least 60 minutes before serving (while still young) in Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees, and don’t be shy with the pairing: beef, lamb, or gamier meats like venison are all in play. Enjoy!
