Malleolus 2011 75cl

2011 was a warm and ripe vintage, and the Moro brothers are very happy with their wines; they consider the vintage their best in the decade. The 2011 Malleolus is sourced from their older vines, and fermented in stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and an élevage of 18 months in French oak barriques. It has a very showy, tantalizing nose of smoked bacon, roasted coffee, grains (fried corn?), violets, dark cherries, and raspberries with plenty of spices in a very commercial mixture of oak and fruit. The palate is medium to full-bodied with some crunchy tannins over a core of ripe, juicy fruit, coming through as quite balanced and powerful, with restraint and elegance. This has to be one of the best Malleolus produced, the highlight of this line up. 140,000 bottles were filled in the summer of 2013. I also previewed the 2013 just before bottling, as there is no 2012 Malleolus (nor Valderramiro or Sancho Martín), as they thought the vintage was too ripe. The 2013 showed very nice and fresh, with the oak quite well integrated; quite impressive for a 2013.  This time I met with José Moro to taste through their portfolio of (mostly) red wines from their Emilio Moro and Cepa 21 wineries. Nice, modern, ripe and generously oaked Ribera del Duero wines, very good in their style. The 2011 Malleolus was the highlight of the line up.

This fleshy red has ripe flavors of blackberry and kirsch, backed by toast, licorice and graphite notes. The solid tannins are well-integrated, while crisp acidity keeps this fresh. Fruity and harmonious. Drink now through 2021. 8,500 cases made. –TM