Bodegas Cepa 21 Ribera del Duero 2016
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A wine with roots anchored in the winemaking tradition of the Ribera del Duero, but with an innovative vocation. Cepa 21 is the wine chosen by the third generation of the Moro family to represent their passion for making wine in an ideal enclave.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The flagship wine that carries the name of the project is currently the 2016 Cepa 21, produced with youngish Tempranillo matured in French barrique for 12 months. It has some spicy and smoky notes from the élevage in oak, which gives it a showy profile. It's ripe without excess with a sweetness of fruit that coats the palate and makes it a bit jammy. There are plenty of tannins to stand up to food. 420,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2018.
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Robert
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Wine &
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Bodegas Cepa21 was born in 2002 from the passion, heritage and know-how of the third generation of the Moro family. The vineyards are found in a northern orientation valley with a colder terroir from where the Family started planting vineyards.
Located in Castrillo de Duero, a village of Valladolid in the heart of the Ribera del Duero region, the area is known as the “The Golden Mile” because of Its Terroir combining extreme climate conditions, varied soils and orography of the valley.
The Winery has 50 hectares grafted with the pure clone of Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) from the oldest vineyards that the Family planted.
The Family aims to produce wines that respect the terroir and the variety, that are characterized by the intensity and the structure, but also by the freshness and finesse. There is a more modern focus on winemaking, showing more the fruit characteristics. To do this, each wine comes from different vineyards, where Hito is produced out of vineyards in the foothills of the valley, at 2,400 feet, Cepa 21 from vineyards in the middle of the slope, at 2,700 feet. Malabrigo and Horcajo come from two vineyards in the high plateau at 3,000 feet. The wines are vinified according to the parcels to show the terroir potential.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.