2000 Hacienda Monasterio Crianza

[VouvrayHead]

(Ribiera del Duero)
$18 152,000 bottle produced.

These are notes based off pleasant memories of last night!
Started off seeing McCoy Tyner at the University Union theater... He's still fantastic, and his bassist was phenomenal... Pyrotechnic, but still musical.

Walked home through the lovely autumn night with the harvest moon and let this guy start to breath when we got home.
Decanted around an hour, light sediment.

Very nice wine... Rather perfumy nose with dark fruit and a light smokiness. In the mouth, velvety berries and plums up front with forest floor and smoke in the background and a touch of sugar or marshmallow (this is the second time I've noticed this in a Ribiera del Duero... hmmm) on the back-end, though still very dry. The finish is dry, but I wish it was a big longer. Nice wine, just a notch below the Condado de Haza or Pesquera.

Ribiera del Duero are right up there with Gigondas for my favorite values in big, brash, and slightly rustic reds...