“Could easily become something of a cult wine.” – Drinks Business

Dripping with plum fruit, spice, and pepper notes with fine tannins and an intensely lingering finish, this double 97pt powerhouse red is an exceptional value, especially when compared to some of the region’s more famous wines as reviewed by Wine Advocate (Bendito Destino ‘La Cabaña’ – 97pts, $150; Vega Sicilia ‘Alion’ – 97pts, $150; Pingus ‘Amelia’ – 96pts, $475 if you can find it!).

Today’s wine – Less than $60?!

Jane Anson of Inside Bordeaux raved in her 97pt review “I love seeing what Telmo Rodriguez can do in Ribero del Duero, and so will you.”

If you like full-bodied reds with a complex array of spice notes and toasted oak with a long savory finish, you owe it to yourself to grab a few bottles.

Oh, and the good news - if you head to our store, there are other vintages available.

Helmed by Telmo Rodriguez, internationally renowned for pioneering and terroir-based approach to Rioja, partnering with Pablo Eguzkiza, the “The Lord of Terroir” in Spain, according to Guía Peñín, they have created a singular Ribera del Duero in Matallana form old vines across a variety of soil types from 5 different villages and 11 vineyard locations in the region. Not allowed by government regulation to list them, in protest, they redacted them on the front label! (We do love a good top-secret document!!!)

And, again, did we mention IT’S LESS THAN $60?!

If you don’t know Ribera del Duero, here is your chance to discover what you’re missing.

Despite a winemaking tradition stretching back to Roman times, Ribera del Duero was a relatively obscure region in Spain, hidden by the shadow of the more famous Rioja until the 1980s. Enter Vega Sicilia (1982) and Pingus (1995). Using top-secret vineyard sources and blending Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo) with other indigenous and sometimes French varieties, they created wines that stood apart. That grabbed the attention of critics and collectors.

Today, their top-bottlings wines have cult status and (justifiably) stratospheric prices (think $500-$1000+). Telmo Rodriguez was also an early pioneer here, producing Matallana since 1998. Yet it didn’t attract the same critical attention of his projects in Rioja – until recently.

Since then, Vega Sicilia and Pingus have expanded with other Ribera del Duero labels. And there have been many producers in the region to join them in making beautifully dense and complex expressions. But rarely this good… and definitely not at this price!

The 2021 vintage, compared to the previous two vintages, suffered some adverse weather in the form of frost and rain at harvest. But this is where experts like Telmo and his team shine! For their efforts, Wine Advocate awarded them a staggering 97pts – it’s their third-highest rated wine for the vintage in the region! (and the other are a LOT more expensive!)

Hopefully you are convinced. Matallana is arguably the next big thing. A cult wine in the making.

Score some today – at a stunning 53% off! – before the secret is out.

(Bragging rights for turning your friends onto this Spanish powerhouse? Free of charge.)

97-Points – Wine Advocate “Telmo Rodríguez makes wines in Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Toro in the Duero zone. They are betting hard on Ribera del Duero and have just planted (in April 2024) a new nine-hectare vineyard in the village of Fuentemolinos and are hoping to get their winery going in the village of Sotillo de la Ribera. The Ribera del Duero red 2021 Matallana comes from a challenging year but with very good potential for quality and quantity. It has grapes from different vineyards in five different villages on different soils, where they made a big selection to keep the very best grapes; they got 80,000 kilograms of grapes and ended up producing some 22,000 bottles. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and oak vats. It matured in French oak barrels of different sizes for 14 months. This is a superb classical Ribera del Duero with ripeness, concentration, balance and elegance and the freshness from a cooler year marked by the big snowstorm in January and a milder summer. It has 14.4% alcohol with a pH of 3.72 and 4.6 grams of acidity. It’s very spicy and peppery, showy and extroverted, very spicy with some exotic notes of nutmeg, ripe wild berries, violets and herbs. It’s medium to full-bodied with very chalky tannins and is tasty, almost salty. 22,450 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023. Drink 2025 – 2036.”

97-Points – Inside Bordeaux “Plum ruby red, nuanced and subtle with an emphasis on fragrance and lift, violet, peony, rose, finessed tannins, poise and intensity, raspberry and redcurrant fruit. Savoury, subtle, joyful. I love seeing what Telmo Rodriguez can do in Ribero del Duero, and so will you. He’s been producing this wine since 1998, with the grapes from the northern area of Sotillo de la Ribera down to Pardilla in the south, 11 vineyards covering 21.5ha across five different villages. Native yeast fermentation”

96-Points – James Suckling “Plush yet fresh, with blackberries, black cherries, white pepper, graphite, grilled herbs and cocoa powder. Full-bodied and fine-veined, with tight but powdery tannins. Structured and fine veined. A long, well-extracted Ribera del Duero that has excellent balance and polish. Still shows energy. Drink from 2025.”

95-Points – Vinous “The 2021 Matallana comes from Ribera del Duero and was aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. Deep garnet in the glass, it opens with black cherry and crisp plum, layered with camphor, potpourri and an austere, slightly closed yet complex profile. The palate is compact and creamy, delivering intense flavor with fine grip and juicy flow, finishing with a chalky texture. A structured yet weightless red. The vineyard names are crossed out on the label, a subtle protest against Denominación de Origen (D.O.) regulations. Drink 2025 – 2040.”