Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero Angel

Lots of intense black cherry with clear old vine concentration, but much too modern and oaky, and also too tannic for current enjoyment, even though tannins softened with food. Not my cup of tea.

Deep red color with "sticky" legs. Menthol on the nose when first approaching, then fruit and floral scents emerge. Light mouthfeel with red fruits and currant giving way to subtle spice and leather notes. Silky finish, with well integrated tannins. Seems like it is in a good place...

I opened this when friends dropped by for beef stew on 4/7/18. It had a rich, powerful bouquet of black cherry, leather, mocha, cocoa, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate was tight, dry and well structured with flavors that followed the nose.

Dense core of silky fruit. A bit of unresolved dry tannic grip intrudes on what would otherwise be a spectacular Ribera.

The 2011 vintage of the same wine we drank with the winemaker on the steps of his bodega as the sun went down, the �ngel is a higher end selection from Bodegas Arrocal in village of Gumiel del Mercado in Spain's Ribera del Duero. A mix of blueberry jam and bright red stone fruit with a little rough and tumble rusticity and for a highly dynamic nose. There's also a dusting of dark chocolate that turns into a harder dark …