It's a bit surprising that the 2019 Torremilanos, which is 100% Tempranillo and doesn't have any Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from a warmer and drier year, feels fresher and less ripe than the 2018 I tasted next to it, from a cooler year. They harvested earlier, and the wine has 14% alcohol (less than the 2018); the oak also feels more integrated and the wine more harmonious in general. It has an expressive nose and an almost salty feeling that calls for food. It's juicy, round and balanced. This will be released as a Reserva rather than a Crianza.

The eponymous crianza 2018 Torremilanos, matured in barrel for 24 months, comes from north-facing plots on their property and is mostly Tempranillo with some 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, so it could qualify as a reserva. It's ripe without excess, and the oak is integrated; it's from a cooler year with more freshness. Somehow, the wine feels riper than the 2019 I tasted next to it. 92,919 bottles and some larger and smaller bottles. It was bottled in the summer of 2021.

The 2009 Torremilanos included 7-8% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged for 21 months in barrel both new and multiple ages of used oak. It has a lifted bouquet of blackberry leaf, briary, a touch of wild heather and mulberry fruit. It is very natural and well-defined, the antithesis of your Ribera del Duero blockbuster (you have been warned!) The palate is well-balanced with firm, dry tannins that encase the tarry black fruit. There is a lot of white pepper toward the structured, masculine finish that is long and persistent. Though not an elegant wine, there is plenty of character and individuality here. Drink now-2018. The hawks were watching when I visited Bodegas Torremilanos. The birds of prey are part of the ecosystem that dovetails into their biodynamic viticulture, keeping pests away without resorting to pesticides and so forth. The family purchased the property in 1975, when wine was worth a pittance, so much so that the father of present winemaker Ricardo Penalba had to pretend that he was buying the land to turn it into a quarry! The vineyards have been expanded over the years so that there are presently 119 hectares under vine. This is an address where new ideas are being put into practice apropos unorthodox grape varieties and vinification techniques, including experimenting with concrete eggs and natural wine. “How do you know unless you try?” is the maxim at Finca Torremilanos. How refreshing to hear that. While they were not necessarily the best wines I tasted during my trip, I admire someone willing to take risks and experiment, just as I encouraged in my introduction. The result is an interesting portfolio that is worth seeking out and following. I spent an afternoon with Ricardo tasting through his portfolio from Ribera del Duero. Since I had the time, I agreed to taste his Cava and VDT wines that comes under the Penalba Lopez label, but will include them here for convenience sake. Importer: Grapes of Spain. www.grapesofspain.com

The 2008 Torremilanos was produced entirely from estate-grown fruit and aged for 23 months in French oak (coopered at the winery). It delivers an already complex perfume of exotic spices, balsam wood, mineral, espresso, licorice, and blackberry. In the glass it displays a racy personality marked by a firm acid structure and more than enough ripe fruit for balance. Lively, savory, and lengthy, it is likely to evolve for 2-3 years and will provide optimum drinking through 2023. Finca Torremilanos is the only estate in Ribera del Duero permitted to produce Cava which they have now been doing for 30 years. The climate is cooler than Penedes where 95% of Spain’s Cava is made. It is made from 90% Viura (vine age 60-180 years) and 10% Chardonnay with 25 months on the lees and zero dosage with residual sugar less than 1%. Finca Torremilanos is to be commended for its effort to expand the winemaking envelope. Importer: Aurelio Cabastrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; Tel. (571)-642-0343

The 2006 Torremilanos is 100% Tempranillo from younger vines that spent 23 months in French oak. Purple in color, it exhibits an already complex bouquet of cigar box, violets, mineral, espresso, and blackberry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, elegant wine with serious depth and concentration. The wine’s savory black fruits, earth notes, and spice linger for over 30 seconds. Give this outstanding effort another 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it from 2012 to 2021. Bodegas Finca Torremilanos is well known for its red wines but it also makes a very fine Cava. Importer: Aurelio Cabestrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; www.grapesofspain.com