The Bottom Line
Montecastrillo 2007 is a Spanish tempranillo, of the Ribera del Duero D.O. It is a round red wine, which can be enjoyed with big dishes, such as beef roasts or stews.
Background
This Spanish tempranillo wine is produced by Bodegas Penalba Lopez in the Ribera del Duero D.O. (Denominacion de Origen) in northern Spain. It is located on the Torremilanos Estate, a winery founded by Calixto Seijas Ruiz-Zorrilla in 1903. It is just a few minutes from the city of Aranda del Duero. In 1975 the Penalba Lopez family purchased the winery. They focused on modernizing and enlarging the winery, and today they have almost 500 acres planted in tempranillo grapes (farmed organically) and produce about 1 million liters.
Enotourism is also part of the business, and there is a hotel on the premises, alongside the winery.
Summary
This wine is 100% Tempranillo (Tinta Fina). The fermentation lasted 9 days in stainless steel tanks, then the wine aged in French barrels for 7 months, and bottled without filtration. The characteristics of the wine were:
- Nose of Red Fruit and Wood
- Intense Palate, slightly Mineral
- Crimson Color, a bit Cloudy
Detailed Description
When reviewing wines, we use a wine scale based on a 20-point scale originally developed at UC Davis, so that there is consistency to our reviews.
- Clarity: Hazy, Cloudy
- Color: Nearly Correct, Attractive
- Bouquet: Simple, Slightly Underdeveloped
- Acidity: Slightly high
- Sweetness: Slightly Lacking
- Body: Smooth, Even, Pleasant
- Flavor: Agreeable, clean, Simple
- Bitterness: Normal, Appropriate
- Finish: Appropriate for Age
- Quality: No Exceptional Features
The printable wine scale used in reviews, you can use at your next wine tasting:
Notes: We prefer to use the standard traits and adjectives, rather than displaying the points. We believe that this provides the reader with more useful information about the characteristics of the wine. However, there are times we believe the wine falls between the standard "rankings" of a particular trait. So, to best describe it, we choose the adjectives from two rankings. For example, if the bouquet is in between being "Fruity, Pronounced, Developed" and "Clean, Pleasant, Scented, Delicate," we choose the adjectives from each set, which we believe best describe the bouquet.
Price & Availability
- Price: Average is $12 USD per bottle.
- Available for purchase from internet wine shops.
- Imported to USA by: Grapes of Spain in the Washington, DC area
- Winery Web Site: Bodegas Penalba Lopez The Monte Castrillo label was not listed on the site, but the other labels produced by the winery were featured. (English and Spanish Versions)
Disclosure: A review sample was provided. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
More About Ribera del Duero D.O.
- Vinos de Castilla - Wines of Castilla, Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Toro, El Bierzo and Cigales
- Drink Ribera. Drink Spain., Ribera del Duero D.O. Site
