2014 Hacienda Monasterio Ribera del Duero

I got to taste the 2014 Crianza, which was fascinating to compare with the 2013. It's 80% Tempranillo and 10% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and they have been reducing the amount of new oak to around 30% in this wine. The vineyard was planted in 1990, so the vines are ripe and getting its own personality; they saw that change happening at 18 years old. 2014 was a very good overall year in the zone, and the tannic structure is quite powerful, so it was very important to do a soft vinification to avoid extracting too much and get a balanced wine. It is very harmonious and the oak does not play an important role in the aromatics. The tannins always have that limestone texture that also adds a sapid character making it very tasty. This is a great year for the Crianza, and as I mentioned, it was fascinating to taste it next to the 2013, as both faithfully reflected the character of each vintage. It was bottled in June 2016. There were 212,011 bottles produced.