This is one of my top wines of 2018! This is a 94 point wine from Wine Spectator. I have sampled this on six occasions with one bottle being corked (which WTSO refunded). I originally found out about this wine via WTSO and paid $21.99 for it. I was looking at Facebook one day and saw Big Top Liquors had this in their closeout bins for $10.99! If you can find a better $10.99 wine let me know and I will take you out to dinner. This is available at their St. Paul store & Eagan stores. If you are going just for this wine call ahead and have them pull it off the shelves to ensure it is still available.
Here are my notes on this amazing value:
- 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (12/6/2018)
Day 1: Nice again with raspberries, spices, gravel, match stick and leather. Medium plus finish and good acidity. Balanced. 92 points
Day 2: This bottle on day 2 is a little more disappointing and a bit acidic. Lost some of the concentration. Floral, leather and gravel dominate. Fruit somewhat muted. Not as good of a bottle which happens. 87 points
Recommendation: I have been having good luck with Ribera/Rioja wines on day 1 and recommend to drink them from the 2010 vintage on day 1. I would say decant a solid hour and enjoy with a larger group however if you have a few drinkers see the evolution over the course of a few hours. (92 points) - 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (12/1/2018)
Day 1: Great close out pricing on this one. Too low to show. A bit more rustic than the last bottle which was from WTSO. Forest floor, leather, pencil lead and subtle spices. Still has the nice fruit profile but not as present. Medium plus finish and good acidity. Really balanced wine. 92 points
Day 2: In a good place today with a more rustic presence. Raspberries, floral, leather, pine needles and celery. Medium plus finish. Great acidity and a real winner! A bit better than day 1. 93 points
Day 3: Not quite as good as day 2 but still quite tasty. 90 points
Recommendation: This is a wine I would not age for five plus years. Drink this now to 2022 and enjoy. It has been good on a pop and pour up to 4 days on some of the bottles sampled. (93 points) - 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (11/28/2018)
Day 1: Drinking well on a pop and pour. Between the classic and more modern style. Nice fruits featuring sour cherry and blueberries. Vanilla, saddle wood and leather. Nice floral component on this medium plus finish. This is a real solid wine and one of the better QPR wines of the year. 92 points
Day 2: Very good featuring cherries, blueberries and raspberries. Again picking up the saddle wood, leather but less vanilla/oak. Wine is complex and very flavorful. I like this wine a lot and am glad 12 more are coming. Great QPR wine. 92 points (92 points) - 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (7/13/2018)
Day 1: This is one of the better WTSO wines I have had in years. The 2nd bottle corked but this one is rocking! Rustic wine with leather, sour cherries, earth, bramble, dried herbs and an array of darker fruits. On the finish picks up a nice chocolate element. This is a classic effort and the traditionalist would approve. If this ever pops up again buy!!! 94 points
Day 2: Very similar to day 1 and this tells me a decade of drinking. Very concentrated finish and just enjoyable to drink. 94 points
Day 3: This wine is holding strong on day 3 and adds a nice coffee bean element. Great fruit and complexity. Medium to long finish. Balanced with a capital B. 94 points
Recommendation: Buy this!!! This wine will drink well for over a decade. (94 points) - 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (6/21/2018)
corked (NR/flawed) - 2010 Ardal Tradicion Ribera del Duero Reserva Selección Especial – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (3/9/2018)
3 Day Wine Reviews that Rock!; 2/12/2018-4/15/2018: Day 1: Wanted to experiment with a bottle that was shipped and how it would drink next day. Well yes wine can taste great right after being shipped. This has a wonderful nose of menthol, blueberries, spices, wood and dust. Palate is solid. Nice fruit and earth featuring blueberries, cherries, dust, wood and spices. Medium plus finish and concentrated. This wine should evolve over the next 15 years. Excellent value for only $22.99!!! Outstanding WTSO offering. 92 points
Day 2: Really in a dumb phase. The fruit elements are not as present as day 1 and certainly day 3 after the review. 88 points
Day 3: Really nice fruit emerging that was not as present on day one. Cherry, strawberries, floral and menthol. Much brighter wine and really is a Newer World offering from Ribera del Duero. I am wondering if since this wine was just shipped it needed some air to really open up. There will be a reward for 3 to 5 years of age or a day 3 hold. 93 +. (93 points)
Got some earlier today.