Portia Ribera del Duero Prima Tempranillo 2016, La Encina

Decanter Points 97 Points

James Suckling 94 points - This delivers all the power of Ribera with some refinement and elegance. Dark plums, blackberries and violets and gently toasty oak that is well integrated and adds clove and chocolate. The palate has effortless depth, the tannins wrapped neatly around dark plums. Drink or hold..August/2018

Wine & Spirits 91 points - From Portia’s Finca La Encina, in Gumiel del Mercado, northeast of La Horra, this is a powerfully concentrated Ribera. It rested 15 months in French oak barrels while Portia’s Crianza, also recommended here, spent ten months in French oak and three in American. Stylistically, they are polar opposites. Prima shows its oak influence in chocolate-brownie richness and lasting vanilla scents. The fruit needs bottle age to absorb that oak, but the fruit itself is rich and substantial, with black-cherry and anise scents and mineral-tinged fruit-skin tannins. A modern Ribera to cellar three to five years..June/2019