Wines (12 View)

Organic / Natural / No Sulpur Added

A fresh unoaked Tempranillo from Rioja.

Red wine wholly made using the Tempranillo variety. After the alcoholic fermentation, the malolactic process is carried out with 30% in barrels and the remaining 70% in tanks. The ageing takes place in extrafine and fine grain French wood, the majority in new barrels and the rest in one-wine barrels. It remains in wood for 15 months and then in bottles until it is sold.

94 pts Wine Advocate
I tasted the 2014 Macan once again, as they are holding the top wine to give it one more year in bottle before being released. It fermented in oak vats with inoculated yeasts and aged in new barrique for 16 to 18 months. They want to give this cuvee no less than three years in bottle. This 2014 was bottled in May 2016, not quite three years ago yet, but it can provide a good idea of the development the wine is going to have when it's released. It's evolving at a very slow pace; it's a tight red with plenty of tannins, and the time in bottle seems to be doing it good. There is concentration and power, as well as typicity from the variety and the zone, with that austerity from this part of Rioja. It's a serious, modern and nicely crafted Tempranillo with a touch of sweet spices and smoke. It should continue evolving nicely in bottle.

Intense red cherry colour. Complex and elegant on the nose with aromas of plum and sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Slight notes of almonds with the oak very well integrated. Good structure on the mouth with notes of mature fruit and chocolate. A lively wine with good tannic concentration. Long and persistent. Food Matching: Ideal with red meats, game and cheese

Organic

90 pts Wine Spectator
A smooth texture masks good concentration in this juicy red, with a firm structure. Ripe cherry and plum flavors mingle with coffee and toasty notes, showing touches of herb and loamy earth.

100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. Full-bodied but smooth and clearly well made.

Winemaker Notes:
"Cherry colour with garnet rim, bright and intense. Red fruit expression, powerful, elegant, dry stone, coca bean, creamy oak, hints of spices. Powerful, flavourful, fruity, good acidity, smoky aftertaste, toasty, long finish."

In 1927, a group of 15 vine-growers banded together to create the Cooperativa Ribera del Duero (which translates as "Bank of the Duero River"). They were the first to make a wine called "Ribera del Duero", and as regional pioneers, eventually gave their name to the DO when it was created in 1982. Generations later, this cooperative is producing some of the most highly acclaimed wines in Spain under the name "Protos", meaning "First" in Greek.

In 2008, Protos reached another milestone with the completion of its state-of-the-art winery by renowned British architect Richard Rogers. A modern architectural gem, the winery is built into the mountain just beneath Penafiel Castle, at once complementing and contrasting the ancient landmark.

LOCATION OF VINEYARD
Protos has two wineries in the heart of the Ribera del Duero: Penafiel (near Valladolid) and Anguix (near Burgos). Their third winery, La Seca, is where they make Verdejo in the neighboring Rueda DO near Valladolid. Protos owns 100 hectares of vineyards around its wineries and has partnerships with several local growers who supply additional grapes.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
Protos has the unique distinction of offering wines from two DOs, producing fresh, aromatic Verdejos from Rueda in addition to varietal Tempranillos from Ribera del Duero. Harvesting is entirely manual, and production is gathered in 20-kilogram boxes (just over 44 pounds) to aid in ensuring only completely healthy, whole grapes reach the fermentation tanks. Protos has also implemented an extensive R&D program to test the effects of different types of barrels on its wines.

In both DOs, Protos leverages its generations of winemaking experience, cutting-edge technology, and philosophy of "Quality above all" to produce exceptional wines.

Jose Serrano Carlos Guzman graduated from the L´Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique in Montpellier, France, with a degree in viticulture. Following graduation, he served as winemaker and technical director at several estates, including Bodega Cooperative de Morales de Toro (DO Toro), Bodegas Marques de Riscal (DO Rueda), and finally Bodegas Roqueta (DO Pla de Bages). He became Winemaker Director at Bodegas Protos in 1999.