Winery and Region
Ardal Reserva 2010 is a powerful wine made from grapes grown on 65-year-old vines, giving it elegance and complexity.
It comes from Balbas Winery that was founded in 1777, the same year that work started on the first underground wine cavern marking over 200 years of tradition and four generations dedicated to the noble art of winemaking in the Ribera del Duero.
Ribera del Duero located in northern Spain’s Castilla y León. While this region has more than 2,000 years of winemaking history, it was granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status only in the 1980s. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Essentially, Ardal is a fusion of 200 years of grape growing and winemaking tradition with modern methods that helps to elevate the powerful characteristics of Ribera del Duero terroir and add finesse to Ardal Reserva.
Ardal Reserva 2010 Tasting Notes
Let's talk about the biological parents of this wine. They are 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. After birth, it spent 24 months in French and American oak barrels, and 24 months in a bottle.
In a glass, Ardal Reserva presents itself with a deep ruby color and a terracotta rim.
On the nose, herbal notes intertwine harmoniously with ripe blueberry and plum, cedar and smoke from aging in oak.
The palate is equally impressive and convincing. It starts with sensible acid and tannins hinting that wine has potential to age. The flavors of ripe raspberry and plum combined with herbs and vanilla make an impressive statement.
The finish was rather long with lasting flavors of raspberry with heavy cream. Yes, I know, unusual for red wine. That's what made it for so much fun to drink.
Overall, Ardal Reserva 2010 is an excellent wine with an intense, highly elegant and seductive finish. It makes an outstanding value with a price point at around twenty dollars. It will pair well with roast meats, BBQ and anything off the grill.