2020 Matallana - Ribera del Duero

Robert Parker - 96

There is a change in the 2020 Matallana, as they have included Jean-Guillaume Prats (ex-Cos d’Estournel, ex-Lafite…) in the Ribera del Duero project, and the wine is going to be sold for the first time with this vintage through the négociant system of La Place de Bordeaux. The grapes from the five villages (mentioned but then crossed out on the label) were picked between the sixth and 18th of October and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and oak vats. The wine matured in French oak barrels for 14 months. This is a little riper than the 2019 I tasted next to it, despite both being 14.5% alcohol (at least on the label). It follows the path of seriousness and austerity of the last few vintages and has a very calcareous mouthfeel with chalky tannins that lift up the finish. 19,624 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.

Decanter - 95

A brand new wine to the Place de Bordeaux this year and the first wine from Ribera del Duero via a collaboration between Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkia (also of Yjar on the Place). A field blend of massal-selection grapes – Tinto Fino, Navarro, Valenciano, Albillo ‘and others’ are chosen from 11 vineyards across five villages with different soils and landscapes totalling 21.5 hectares. This is softly floral on the nose with bright red berry notes. Taught and direct, this doesn’t deviate too much from the centre of the palate – the spiced, tobacco-laced black fruit and clear mineral wet stone, graphite and pencil lead all in one line from start to finish, tangy and a little constricted. Feels well worked no doubt, smooth and defined, just not so expansive and wide at this point. Coiled and knitted with tons of liquorice and savouriness on the finish. A real balancing act of complexity and flavour layering with underlying power and promise of great things to come. Ageing 14 months in French oak barrels. Interestingly, the label features a series of redacted, blacked-out lines covering vineyard names as regulations prevent the naming of such.

The Wine Independent - 94

The 2020 Matallana is blended from Tinto Fino, Navarro, Valenciano, and Albillo, among other varieties. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the glass with exuberant scents of baked black plums, black cherry compote, and dried mulberries with hints of dried Provence herbs, unsmoked cigars, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is packed with savory-laced black fruits supported by chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy.