The 2009 Pico Cuadro will spend 14 months in barrel. Sweetly fruited, elegant, layered, and beautifully proportioned, the wine’s savory black fruits linger on the palate for over 45-seconds. It will evolve for several years but can be approached in its youth. Bodegas Pico Cuadro is an impressive newcomer to these pages. It is a family-owned winery that began operations in 2004 with 12 acres of vines ranging from 20 to 90+ years of age. Felipe Castrillo is the man in charge of the cellar and the originator of the project. Four of the 5 wines are barrel samples from the great 2009 vintage in Ribera del Duero with the wines composed of 100% Tempranillo raised in French oak.Importer: Classic Wine Selections, Stamford, CT; Tel. (203) 975-2522

The 2009 Pica Cuadro is predominantly from young vines (70%) and is fermented in stainless steel vats before aging for 14 months in French oak barrels. It has a light nose of brambly red berry fruit: red currant, cranberry with hints of violet and a hint of seaweed. The palate is medium-bodied with a fruity entry: with mulberry and dark plum to the fore, suggestions of sea salt and white pepper just behind. The tannins are quite robust, but there is plenty of succulent, plummy fruit on the finish to keep it nicely balanced. Drink now-2016. I visited Pico Cuadro, apparently the smallest bodega member of the Consejo Regulador, to meet winemaker Felipe Castrillo Martin (no relation). When he began in 2004, the production was just 12,000 bottles, although it has since expanded. He does not own vineyards but sources from growers under contract from around Ribera del Duero under which he manages the vines throughout the growing season. The wine is fermented in nine wooden vats in the winery located in Quintanilla de Onesimo. I found this address to be a good source of well-crafted wines. Importer: Classic Wine Selections, Stamford, CT; tel. (203) 975-2522