2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza

Last Wednesday there was a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy, but unfortunately I was traveling and couldn't taste all four wines on the menu.  The tasting was focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and included four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now tonight I am tasting the third wine of the group, the 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza, the last of the reds we tried.

This wine has a lovely deep ruby color in the glass.  I've let this one breathe a bit, it's now been opened for a few hours, and the nose presents some lovely aromas of leather, oak, ripe berries and some licorice and vanilla notes.  The taste is quite nice, with some wonderful ripe fruit up front, blackberries, plum, and some nice toasted oak and coffee flavors midpalate.  The finish is quote nice, with some smoky, earthy notes with a good bit of minerality, almost a limestone quality.  The tannins are well polished making for a long, smooth, dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, and it's probably my second favorite of the group we tasted and it's a pretty good value in the mid-$20 range.  Tonight I am pairing this with a big steak, specifically a thick Angus ribeye that I've grilled rare and topped with a bit of bernaise, as I find the structure of this wine really matches well with the richness of the sauce, and some mashed potatoes and steamed purple asparagus.  Such a delicious meal!