Emilio Moro Ribera Del Douro Wine Tasting with Special Guest Alberto Medina Moro

“With bread and wine you can walk your road”

Spanish Proverb quotes

We have been busy this week at the Wine Bar with a SOLD OUT events for both Krug and Henriot Champagne on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as our biggest event of the year the “Best of 2019” SOLD OUT on Friday night.

We do have a few seats left for Clark Cloudon on Thursday night and we have a few spaces left for vintage Madeira back to 1837 on Saturday night.  The Wine Bar is open Thursday and Saturday night this week and I have included the menu for this week's at the bottom of this e-mail.

We do not host enough Spanish wine tastings but were trying to make up for that as we have one of the top producers from Ribera De Duero here on Saturday February 1st.

Join us as we welcome Alberto Medina Moro from Bodegas Emilion Moro to taste through this iconic winery’s new releases along with a special menu prepared by chef Toni Lampasone.  The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. 

Emilio Moro Ribera Del Douro Wine Tasting with Special Guest Alberto Medina Moro
Saturday, February 1, 2020
7:30 PM

Bodegas Emilio Moro Bierzo La Revelía 2017
Price: $44.50 Sale: $39.16

The 2017 has been an atypical vintage, with abnormally high temperatures. The most prominent meteorological anomaly was the frosts at the end of April that affected many vineyards and considerably reduced their production. The summer, dry and hot, favored the regularization of the plant. The harvest was early, dry and hot, which guaranteed exceptional health and optimum maturity.
La Revelía represents for us the maximum expression of the Godello variety, complexity, intensity and finesse with a unique personality.
With a pale golden color the wine presents aromas full of nuances, in which is the typical Godello varietal that inmediately stand out, it shows hints of dried flowers, citrus and an elegant minerality. On the palate is broad and well structured, with a long and balanced acidity.

Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Emilio Moro 2017  
Price: $29.50 Sale: $25.96

This wine, bearing the name of its creator, is the alma mater of the winery. Since the 1998 harvest the winery reffers to this wine which is made from middle-age vineyards, althought Emilio Moro was previously used for crianzas and reservas.

Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero La Felisa 2017 
Price: $48.50 Sale: $42.68

Felisa has been the backbone of the Moro family and now her children pay her homage. La Felisa is the first organic wine of the brand and free of added sulfites. It is made with grapes from medium age vineyards.

Deep cherry red in colour, with intense violet rims. It surprises on the nose with aromas of recently fermented grapes. The ensemble is intense and very fruity, with primary notes of Tempranillo at its most natural, blackberry, liquorice; something different in our variety. It has great volume in the mouth, persistent, meaty tannins, balanced acidity and a marked passage.

Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Malleolus 2017
Price: $53.50 Sale: $47.08

The word “Malleolus” comes from Latin and means majuelo (hawthorn), which is the way the locals refer to the vineyards in Pesquera de Duero. To elaborate this wine, we have chosen grapes from old majuelos, trained as bushes and on trellising.

Very deep, intense cherry red in colour, this Malleolus presents a concentration typical of the 2017 vintage, a result of the low yield mentioned above. It has a dense, ripe aroma, with good intensity and a great personality. The balance between ripeness and freshness is excellent, and its months of ageing in 500-litre barrels has granted it´s great complexity. It is powerful and structured in the mouth, with good balance and a long, persistent passage.

Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Malleolus de Valderramiro 2015 
Price: $168.00 Sale: $147.84

Named as the Valderramiro vine plot, planted in 1924. This wine represents the maximum respect and importance for the “terroir”.
Cherry red very covered. On the nose it is intense and complex, very characteristic of this wine and which again another year expresses the best of our oldest vine. The varieties of the most genuine tempranillo are the protagonists, mature and rich in nuances thanks to aging in fine oak barrels. On the palate it is powerful with silky and long lasting tannins The finish is long and persistant.

Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Malleolus de Sanchomartin 2015  
Price: $192.50 Sale: $169.40

Named as the Sanchomartin vine plot, a 1 hectare vineyard that was planted by grafting clones from the oldest vineyards. The wines produced are tannic and have a marked acidity, which makes them ideal for ageing in oak.

Menu

Cheese and Charcuterie Selection
Grilled Octopus with Kalamata Olive Tapenade and Oregano Vinaigrette
Patatas Riojanas: Chorizo Stew finished with crème Fraiche, Avocado and Cilantro
Dark Chocolate & Cherry Napoleon with Toasted Almond Crust

A bit about Bodegas Emilio Moro

The story of the Moro family began in 1932, when Emilio Moro Sr. was born. It is now a project carried out by three generations with roots in the Ribera del Duero, who have spent their lives discovering the characteristics of its terroir. The goal? To produce intense and unique wines.
Our philosophy is based upon tradition, innovation and social responsibility.
MISSION: Elaborate and transmit our passion for winemaking as the best catalyst for human relations.
VISION: Let the world know about our wines, loyal to a culture of excellence and always respecting our terroir and family tradition.
TRADITION: To us, tradition implies responsibility. Our winemaking process incorporates all the key knowledge acquired throughout the years, but we are always looking for ways to improve our best practices in order to keep up with our customers’ expectations. The quality of our wines is based upon three generations of tradition. In Bodegas Emilio Moro, innovation pairs up with tradition to reinforce it, instead of distorting it.
 INNOVATION: It is one of the core values for the Emilio Moro family. We make the effort to keep up to speed with innovation and science, and our department of Research and Innovation collaborates with several colleges in Spain to perfect our processes and make our wines unique.
 SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY: We work consistently to guarantee that our activity, as well as our products, satisfies or exceeds society’s expectations. Among other things, we promote enotourism in the area, we fund international charity projects through the Emilio Moro Foundation, we have enabled our facilities for disabilities…

A bit about Ribera Del Duero:

Officially, the Denominación de Origen (D.O.) of Ribera del Duero was founded on July 21, 1982 by an organization of wine producers and growers who were determined to promote the quality of their wines and enforce regulatory standards.

In practice, winemaking in Ribera dates back over 2,000 years to the Roman era, as evidenced by a recent find, a 66-meter mosaic of Bacchus, the god of wine, unearthed at Baños de Valdearados.  In the middle ages, new plantings by monasteries such as the Cistercians in Valbuena de Duero (first to arrive in the 12th Century) and the Benedictines from Cluny in Burgundy spurred a revival in local winemaking.  Ribera’s earliest underground cellars with their distinctive chimneys were built in the thirteenth century in towns across the region, and still serve to protect wines from the extreme climate.

Wine became an essential aspect of Ribera’s cultural and economic development facilitating trade with other areas of Spain and resulting in the first quality regulations, the "Ordinances of Castilla y León," in the fifteenth century.  Ribera wines were highly regarded for export at the height of the Spanish Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in more recent times the founding of Bodega Vega Sicilia in 1864 heralded the quality credentials of the region prior to the formal establishment of the D.O.

Today, new technology and modern techniques as well as a respect for tradition have driven the quality of Ribera del Duero to its highest accomplishments in over two millennia of winemaking history. Ribera wines have received international acclaim and enjoy widespread distribution.

The climate of Ribera del Duero is unique and ideally suited to growing quality red grapes. Mediterranean with Continental influences, the Ribera climate is characterized by extremes; the region has the highest average elevation in Europe for growing red wine grapes, hot summers, cold winters, a short growing season, minimal rainfall, and a diversity of soils.  Combined, these conditions favor the highest quality winemaking.

Summers are short and hot with temperatures ranging from 50 to 60 °F (10 to 15.5 °C) at night to over 100 °F (38 °C) during the day.  Rapid daily temperature changes during the growing season facilitate healthy ripening of the grapes by day, and promote balanced acidity and aromatic complexity at night.  Moderate to low rainfall, with an average of approximately sixteen inches per year, and extremely limited summer rainfall, also contributes to a perfect, consistent ripening of the vine.

On average, the vineyards of Ribera are planted between approximately 2,500 to 2,800 feet (760 to 850 meters) above sea level (with some vineyards as high as 3,100 feet or 945 meters), resulting in considerable differential between night and daytime temperatures.

Soil conditions in Ribera are near-perfect, with a great diversity of soils extending from the banks of the Duero to the steepest slopes.  Closest to the river, soils are alluvial with sand and reddish clay.  At higher elevations, alternating layers of limestone, marl and even chalk are a notable feature, even with many outstanding plantings on limestone sites.

The main grape variety of the Ribera region is Tempranillo, known locally as Tinto Fino or Tinta del País. Tempranillo, an early-ripening variety, (from "temprano" meaning "early"), is ideally suited to Ribera’s shorter growing season and extreme conditions.

Widely planted and cherished throughout Spain, Tempranillo produces red wines that are well-balanced in sweetness, color and acidity and yields fresh and fruity characteristics with appealing aromas such as black plums, cherry, and licorice. In Ribera del Duero Tempranillo yields smaller berries, loose clusters and tougher skin, which encourages more skin-to-juice contact and promotes full-bodied, powerful wines that still retain the grape’s renowned elegance. The combination of power and elegance represents Tempranillo’s signature in Ribera del Duero, and the region’s singular contribution to winemaking today.

D.O. Ribera del Duero adheres to and closely monitors strict quality controls. During harvest each winery is assigned a surveyor by the Consejo Regulador of D.O. Ribera del Duero, the governing body that oversees all aspects of the viticultural and winemaking process. The Consejo regulates where the grapes come from, the varieties used, the percentages allowed, vineyard practices including pruning, density, and yields, winemaking procedures, alcohol levels and labeling. In practice, the wineries consistently outperform the high standards set by the Consejo in order to maximize quality production.

There are several designations for wines that are produced in the Ribera del Duero: Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Rosado.

* Joven:  Joven wines have no oak at all. "Joven Roble" and "Joven Barrica" are interchangeable terms that refer to wines aged for a short period of three to six months in oak, released soon after harvest. All wines with a Joven classification are fruity and vibrant, and meant to be consumed quite young.

* Crianza:  Aged two years, a minimum of twelve months in oak barrels. They can be released after the first of October, two years after the harvest. These wines have well balanced tannins with a full-bodied and velvety mouthfeel.

* Reserva:  Aged three years, a minimum of twelve months in oak barrels; can only be placed on the market after the first of October of the third year after the harvest.  After twelve months in oak barrels, Reserva wines are then bottled and laid down in winery cellars, producing wines that are ready to drink once they enter the market. Reserva wines are elegant and intense, with a rich aftertaste that is long and persistent.

* Gran Reserva:  Wines of outstanding quality, made in select vintage years only. Aged a minimum of sixty months, with twenty-four months in oak barrels minimum followed by additional bottle aging. First release is allowed after the first of October, five years after the harvest. After twenty-four months in oak barrels, Gran Reserva wines are then bottled and laid down in winery cellars, producing wines ready that are ready to drink at the time of release. Gran Reserva wines are complex and structured, with great balance and vitality.

* Rosado:  Rosé wines are fermented without the skin of the grape and are available shortly after the harvest. Easy to enjoy, with refreshing wild-berry flavors.

The use of oak is closely regulated by type and classification. In addition, oak barrels are changed every four years on average.

Maximum Yields are limited to 7,000 kilograms per hectare (3.1 tons per acre). In practice, the average yields for the past twenty-two years have rarely exceeded 3,600 kilograms per hectare (1.6 tons per acre),  as grape-growers reduce quantity, driven by a pursuit of quality.