Winery - Viña Sastre
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Sastre does not make mass-market, inexpensive wines; this is the base-level offering. And it’s a delicious, moderately complex Ribera that is fat and fruity but also exotic and a touch beguiling. It will make an excellent accompaniment to basic grilled meats; drink now or through 2008. 1,600 cases produced.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Talk about a wine that’s tight as a bank vault. You almost need a pick and axe to get into this bruiser. The bouquet is drawn in, with toast, lemon peel and pure belt leather adding a manly element to the earthy fruit that lurks below. What a pedigree on this single-vineyard alta expressión red, and the coffee-flooded finish goes on and on. Hold until 2009. 125 cases made.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Smoky and subtle on the nose, except for some robust coconut that had to come from the barrel aging. In the mouth, vanilla and coconut remain present, sitting alongside stately berry fruit and tobacco flavors. This is a rock-steady wine with all the characteristics of a high-flying Ribera del Duero. While it’s an excellent example, does it sing to the tune of $70? You be the judge. 208 cases produced.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Kicks off with a blend of herbs, wild flowers, lavender and toasty oak. It’s a fresh, clean, semirich RDD with beautiful berry fruit, chocolate and a slight bit of char. An exciting wine with delicious core flavors and no toughness, hard tannins or heat. A bit dark and bitter on the finish, like a good espresso. Drink now–2014.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Lots of size and smoothness are on display, and the bouquet is ample and fruity. In the mouth, there’s forward berry fruit and snappy cherry riding more on the surface than down below. In fact, this wine runs more racy than hefty, with a touch of herbal essence blending with chocolate on the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A really nice, mature offering considering that 2000 was an average year at best. This wine delivers earthy, savory aromas along with background dark fruit, while in the mouth there’s toast, forest and leather to accompany a good core of red-fruit flavors. Well made and balanced, with a creamy finish housing graceful tannins. Drink now or hold for another couple of years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
If there’s any such thing as the perfect Spanish red, Pesus is it. A blend of 80% Tempranillo with other grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine sees 200% new oak, resulting in a thick, dark, tannic beauty that bubbles over with toast, cola, mint, chocolate and spice aromas. The mouth is sheer heaven; a mile deep in terms of berry flavor and more, but faultless and smooth. Shows outstanding structure and power, and should age well for 15–20 years. Hails from two 100-year-old vineyards and some baby vines with but 25 years of age. Crazy expensive but only 150 cases were made; drink 2013–2030.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A classic wine with maturity but still a lot to give. Aged 24 months in American oak then 12 more months in French barrels, this GR is leathery and powerful, with firm tannins supporting dry berry fruit flavors accented by copious amounts of tobacco, mint, vanilla and more. Will continue to age and soften; drink now through 2025.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Opens with young, punchy aromas of candied raspberry and strawberry. The body is easygoing but the flavors and overall character are more complex than you might expect because Sastre only made this wine and a crianza in ’08 while eschewing its high-end wines. With this youngster expect moderate size and intensity, and a full, semilong finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The vintage, 1995, was a good one in Ribera del Duero, and this is a solid effort, but it pales in comparison to recent vintages at Viña Sastre. Lean, with a firm backbone that supports simple blackberry fruit, it finishes with a squirt of lemony acidity and some peppery spice.
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