The fourth wine out of the gate for Spanish Wine Week is from Ribera del Duero. This area is right up there with Rioja for overall quality of wine produced. It's also been getting more and more attention each passing year. Ribera del Duero is an almost exclusively red wine producing region. like Rioja, Tempranillo rules the day. Smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Malbec and Merlot are also grown. Inevitably these are most often used in blends with Tempranillo.
The 2006 Bodega y Vinedo Fuentecen Hemar Joven is one of four wines from this 
producer I'll be taking at look at over the next several days. The nose of the wine features a huge bouquet of fresh cut strawberries and a touch of candied plum. This wine is young, fresh and tank fermented. Upon opening, this wine reveals itself almost immediately. There are absolutely no harsh or rough edges to this one. The color is a brilliant black cherry hue. The mid-palate features Bing cherry and copious cherry notes. Joven straddles the line between light and medium bodied. The finish reveals just a tiny bit of tartness and tingly white pepper dancing across the tongue.
This wine has a tremendous acidity that makes it a perfect match for Pasta Primavera or other similarly light fare. Joven also drinks very well on it's own. Tasting this wine made me yearn for warmer weather so I could sit on my deck and sip the whole bottle at a leisurely pace. At 13% the alcohol is very moderate which also lends to sipping it for a longer period of time. The retail on the Joven is approximately $18. For that price I found this wine to be an incredibly enjoyable one to drink. Not the most complex wine out there, but a real pleasure to drink, and at the end of the day enjoyment is what it's all about.
Imported by The Ravensvale Group.
Up next is a Spanish white, Palma Real Rueda.
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