The 2013 Quinta Sardonia was cropped from a challenging year when they learned more than in any other vintage. They had to harvest a little earlier to avoid botrytis, and they saw that it represented no problem. In fact, they kept the practice for future vintages. Since 2012 they never use new barriques for this wine, they use the new carrels with the other wines. They also started using some 1,200-liter oak foudres, except for the Cabernet that is always aged in barrique. The blend changes slightly from year to year, as they always think in terms of soils rather than varietals. This year the bottled wine has slightly lower alcohol than in previous years. The nose is serious, quite Bordeaux, with spicy aromas, more of a cool-climate character, with a minty touch and a spark that lifts it up. I clearly noticed the input from the Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this wine has changed since 2012. The tannins are very fine and with a chalky texture from the limestone soils, which are the ones selected for this wine. This is softer and more elegant than the vintages of yesteryear. Some 22,000 bottles produced.

The 2012 QS is approximately half Tempranillo with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 5% Syrah and a pinch of Malbec that fermented together with 10-20% full clusters, and aged in oak barrels for 19 months, but 20% of the volume was kept in egg-shaped cement vats for that time. It feels fresher than the 2012 Q2, as the grapes here are selected from the chalkier parts of the different plots, which bring minerality, sapidity and freshness. It has aromas of violets, red and black cherries, hints of apricots and even some orange peel. In a warm vintage like 2012, the picking date was key, as the grapes went from green to ripe in one day, while the next day was a bit too much, and the one after the fruit was overripe. The palate is medium to full-bodied with fine, chalky tannins, moderate acidity and a slight bitterness in the finish. This is a superb, serious, mineral red that should improve in bottle. 20,444 bottles produced.

The 2011 QS is Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with small percentages of other French grapes fermented together and aged in oak barrels for 20 months. The aim is to show the chalky character of the quinta (estate). 2011 is extremely ripe and the wine reached 15.4% alcohol, but it doesn’t show. It starts quite lactic, with notes of fruits-of-the-forest yogurt, spicy and lush, with no noticeable oak. The wine needs plenty of time and air, so decanting it in advance is a good idea. It is ripe but it’s focused and bright, perhaps the effect of some stems in the wine. The palate is full-bodied, but it has very good balance and acidity, a special liveliness provided by the mineral, chalky, drying sensation of the texture. A soil-driven red of character. Drink 2015-2021. Terras Gauda from Rias Baixas, who also own Pittacum in Bierzo, acquired a majority stake (75%) in Quinta Sardonia at the end of 2010. Quinta Sardonia in Sardon de Duero is just outside the limits of the Ribera del Duero appellation. The project is based on theirown grapes. Peter Sisseck of Pingus fame had been linked to the name since the start in the year 2000, but he left the project with the change of ownership. However, Frenchman Jerome Bougnaud continues being a consultant, as he’s been there in charge of the vineyards and the wines since the early days. Bougnaud had worked with Bertrand Sourdais at Nenin in Pomerol. Sourdais arrived in Ribera del Duero through Ricardo Perez Palacios and Bougnaud followed and got in contact with Sisseck through Alvaro Palacios. He arrived in Spain in 2000, and in 2001 he started working for Hacienda Monasterio and Pingus, joining the Quinta Sardonia project in 2002. In 2005, he also started working at El Regajal in Aranjuez (Madrid), owned by Daniel Garcia Pita, who was one of the owners of Quinta Sardonia. Quinta Sardonia’s vineyards are outside Ribera del Duero by two kilometers, and it’s the same slope as Hacienda Monasterio, just 20 kilometers west. All the vineyards are on the slopes, 22 hectares of them, with alluvial soils from the river, ranging from 760 to 830 meters altitude. They have 18 different soils – and they use 18 different vats – but all of them are of chalk origin, and seven different grape varieties. I noticed a big change in the wines from 2011 and Bougnaud tells me there are even bigger changes in 2012 and 2013. I look forward to tasting them, as I was greatly impressed by what I saw from 2011. Imported by Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

The 2010 QS is Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, with small percentages of other French grapes, fermented and aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Because of the way it’s produced, it has a light reductive character and benefits from time in the glass. It starts showing aromatics from Cabernet after about ten minutes, while keeping the Ribera del Duero personality, with herbal tones like the freshness of cassis. It is lush, dense, ripe and round, powerful, with the slightly drying, chalky minerality sticking to your teeth with good balance and enough acidity. Drink now-2020. Terras Gauda from Rias Baixas, who also own Pittacum in Bierzo, acquired a majority stake (75%) in Quinta Sardonia at the end of 2010. Quinta Sardonia in Sardon de Duero is just outside the limits of the Ribera del Duero appellation. The project is based on theirown grapes. Peter Sisseck of Pingus fame had been linked to the name since the start in the year 2000, but he left the project with the change of ownership. However, Frenchman Jerome Bougnaud continues being a consultant, as he’s been there in charge of the vineyards and the wines since the early days. Bougnaud had worked with Bertrand Sourdais at Nenin in Pomerol. Sourdais arrived in Ribera del Duero through Ricardo Perez Palacios and Bougnaud followed and got in contact with Sisseck through Alvaro Palacios. He arrived in Spain in 2000, and in 2001 he started working for Hacienda Monasterio and Pingus, joining the Quinta Sardonia project in 2002. In 2005, he also started working at El Regajal in Aranjuez (Madrid), owned by Daniel Garcia Pita, who was one of the owners of Quinta Sardonia. Quinta Sardonia’s vineyards are outside Ribera del Duero by two kilometers, and it’s the same slope as Hacienda Monasterio, just 20 kilometers west. All the vineyards are on the slopes, 22 hectares of them, with alluvial soils from the river, ranging from 760 to 830 meters altitude. They have 18 different soils – and they use 18 different vats – but all of them are of chalk origin, and seven different grape varieties. I noticed a big change in the wines from 2011 and Bougnaud tells me there are even bigger changes in 2012 and 2013. I look forward to tasting them, as I was greatly impressed by what I saw from 2011. Imported by Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

The 2009 Quinta Sardonia, tasted from a barrel sample, is purple/black in color with an enticing bouquet of smoke, game, lightly roasted herbs, blackberry, and blueberry. Supple, ripe, and sweetly-fruited, this lengthy offering should reach its peak 2016 and drink well through 2029. (Not yet released) The estate’s full name is Vinas de la Vega del Duero but all you need to remember is Quinta Sardonia. Located in Sardon del Duero, just outside the Ribera del Duero demarcation line but close enough for inclusion in this report, Quinta Sardonia is a biodynamic project from Peter Sisseck (of Pingus fame) and Jerome Bougnaud. The estate has about 37 acres under vine planted in 2000. The wine is typically composed of a blend of roughly 50% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec with aging for 18 months in French oak. It is already being proclaimed by some as Spain’s next cult wine. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565