2011 Monasterio Reserva

The 2011 Reserva has a jammy nose with notes of toffee-caramel (dulce de leche, and not because I've just returned from Argentina!), very ripe plums and cherries without being overripe. The reservas are always 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, but this 2011 was bottled in September 2013, so it was nearly two years in barrique as it was a powerful, ripe harvest and Peter Sisseck is experimenting with longer aging. It's an opulent, ripe, hedonistic Ribera with a medium-bodied palate; it's more fluid than I expected, nicely textured and rich without excess. A ripe, showy reserva. 17,169 bottles.