$44.99 on 6+ bottles

95pts Wine Enthusiast
“Dark violet in the glass, this wine has a bouquet of purple plums, dark chocolate, toast and a hint of leather. It is smooth at first sip and then plush tannins take hold of the palate alongside raspberry, black cherry, cocoa powder, coffee bean and lavender flavors. A shimmering note of acidity shot through with a touch of caramel lingers in the mouth.” — Mike DeSimone, Wine Enthusiast

Our Tasting Note
Deep cherry-crimson in color, opening with expressive aromas of ripe black cherry, plum, and blackberry layered with cocoa, leather, sweet spice, and hints of vanilla from extended oak aging. The palate is full-bodied yet polished, with fine-grained, velvety tannins and vibrant acidity carrying flavors of dark fruit, espresso, tobacco, and subtle balsamic notes. Concentrated and harmonious, it finishes long and elegant with lingering spice and savory complexity.

The name of this wine, "Una Cepa", comes from the low yields per vine. From each bush trained vine or “cepa”, just one bottle of wine is produced. Last year in the fall we tasted this and were impressed, as we always are, with the quality in the bottle for this wine.  We finally have it in stock later this week! I have been selling this wine since the 2013 vintage 6 years ago!  If you have been around this mailing list long enough and also purchased any, you know what I am talking about.  The style here it reminds me of the best Ribera del Duero producers, the top, top producers in the region.  There is plenty of "good" Ribera del Duero out there, but this is SMOKING good right now!  If oak turns you off or you sneer at its use these days as it’s trendy to do so, you should realize that with this (and other top Ribera) that these wines beg to have some oak on them. If it’s done right, like it is here, it’s a perfect match as it seamlessly integrates with the other flavors and textural components.

At this price, we don't see much great Ribera del Duero. We do see some of the best: Vega Sicila, Aguila, Pesquera, Pingus, but the prices are well over the price for this 2019 Valduero Una Cepa. I am jumping on this one and so should you as the 2019 is excellent, a sunny but not extreme with heat like 2017 and 2020. 100% tempranillo, this has great intensity like you get from a Vega Sicilia without  being weighty!  A fantastic bottle to pull with a steak or some lamb, or just to to impress some friends with a great wine.

Variety: 100% Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo)
Vineyard Age: 50+ years.
Irrigation: None (no fat, lazy vines, vines of terroir!)
Vine Cultivation: Low bush.
Yeasts: Indigenous
Barrel Ageing: 18 months in French and American New and Used oak.
Bottle Ageing: 12 months

The bush vines are not irrigated and no chemical fertilizers are used, just sheep manure. Strict pruning is carried out both in winter and in the growing season, and manual harvesting ensures only the best grapes are chosen. This painstaking process means yields are three times as low as with trellis-trained vines cultivated for high production — but the quality of the grapes is sublime. The fruit is usually harvested during the first week of October collected in small 14-kg crates. The grape must is fermented for nine days at controlled temperatures and then macerated with the grape skins for ten more days. The resulting wine is aged in barrels for 18 months and left to stand in the bottle for a further twelve months to achieve a perfect balance between power and elegance.

Winemaking: Picked grapes are fermented for 9 days at between 23ºC and 28ºC, followed by a maceration that lasts 10 days. The vines which produce this wine are all low bush. There is no irrigation or use of chemical fertilizer. A strict pruning in winter is followed by a green pruning in June. Picking in all done by hand. The yield is three times less than from trellised vines, giving grapes that are three times superior in quality. The result: from each vine bush or “cepa”, just one bottle of wine is produced.