The 2009 Seleccion from Roa is from 40-year-old Tempranillo aged for 15 months in new French oak. It has an opulent but defined, pure bouquet of dark red cherries mingling with soy and Moroccan spice: volatile but not excessively so. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins on the entry that are not quite in synch with the fruit at the moment, but it offers fine structure on the masculine, white pepper dashed finish. Drink now-2016. The Wine Advocate has reviewed the wines of Lopez de Cristobal in previous issues. As far as I am aware, they do not have an importer in the US, which is a pity because these represent great expressions of Ribera del Duero. The winery was founded in 1994 by Santiago Lopez, his grandfather having migrated to the region back in the 1930s. The winery is located in Roa and the estate farms nine parcels that together comprise 50 hectares, most Tinto Fino with some Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Albillo. Wines are matured in French and American oak, with a prudent one-third renewed each year. No US importer, but available through www.raeburnfinewines.com in the UK.