2003 Alonso del Yerro

Vinedos Alonso del Yerro, which was established in 2002, is owned by Javier Alonso and María del Yerro (husband and wife). Javier left a lucrative pharmaceutical business to go into wine making, evidently a passion for him. Their vineyards are located in the northern section of Ribera del Duero near the towns of Roa and La Horra.

They retained Stephane Derenoncourt, a famous French consulting enologist, to manage their vineyard and wine making. Stephane has primarily consulted for French wineries but has been branching out to work at wineries all over the world. Inspired by Burgundy and how they handle their Pinot Noir, Stephane's philosophy is to handle the grapes and the wine gently.

The winery produces two wines, the Alonso Del Yerro (their entry level wine) and the Alonso Del Yerro "Maria" (their high end wine which also often receives much accolades). Both wines are made from 100% Tempranillo.

I opened a bottle of the 2003 Alonso del Yerro ($20). The grapes for this wine are manually harvested and then carefully examined before and after de-stemming. The wine is first fermented in stainless steel tanks and then undergoes malolactic fermentation in new French oak barrels. Next, it is aged on the lees for about twelve months with regular stirring of the lees.

The wine is a dark red, almost purple, in color and has an interesting nose of black cherry, smoke and a bit of spice. It is a full-bodied wine, with a rich mouthfeel. On the palate, there are flavors of ripe plum, black cherry, fig and a bit of dark spice. For this price point, there is an intriguing complexity of flavors. The tannins are well integrated and it has good acidity too. The finish lingers long and gives a bit more of the smokiness. I was impressed with this wine and think it would be a great BBQ wine, especially with pork. For the price, it is a good buy and I would recommend it as a Drink & Buy.