The opaque purple 2005 El Vinculo Reserva spent 24 months in barrel. It is a more backward wine giving up aromas of smoke, Asian spices, licorice, tapenade, and blackberry. This lengthy effort will be at its best from 2013 to 2020+. Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez keeps rolling along turning out a surprisingly large amount of wine from Ribera del Duero, all of it produced from Tempranillo, while maintaining a high level of quality. In 1999 Alejandro Fernandez discovered a parcel of old, head-pruned Tempranillo in the historic windmill village of Campo de Criptana in La Mancha. Not generally considered a source of high quality grapes because of extreme summer heat, Fernandez has demonstrated that careful farming can overcome serious obstacles. The grapes for these two wines were harvested in the first two weeks of August, as hard as that is to believe once you have tasted the results.Importer: Steve Metzler, Classical Wines From Spain, Seattle, WA; Tel. (206) 297-6713

These wines are all 100% Tempranillo. The 2004 El Vinculo Reserva delivers greater aromatic complexity with notes of toasty oak, spice box, blackberry, and black cherry. On the palate the wine is full-bodied bordering on plush, with mouth-coating dark fruits, ripe tannin, and a lengthy, pure finish. Give it another 4-6 years in the cellar and drink it through 2024. These wines demonstrate the potential of La Mancha, a large region known in the past primarily for bulk wines, but now increasingly the focus of top vignerons such as Alejandro Fernandez of Pesquera fame.Importer: Steve Metzler, Classical Wines of Spain, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 297-6713

This structured red shows dark plum, coffee and earth flavors over muscular tannins. A bit rustic, but has the strength to match with hearty foods. Tempranillo. Drink now through 2010. 2,500 cases made.??–TM??Region: Spain / La Mancha Select to Add

The 2001 El Vinculo Reserva is dark ruby in color with an expressive perfume of cedar, vanilla, black cherry and cassis. On the palate the wine is opulent with appealing, layered flavors, sweet, well-integrated tannin, and excellent balance. Drink it over the next 6-8 years. Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle, WA.; tel. (206) 297-6713