Produced with organic and biodynamic Tempranillo grapes, the 2020 Montecastrillo Rosado has a dark color and notes of strawberries and candy, with moderate alcohol and good freshness. It's dry and develops notes of herbs with time in the glass. It's fresh and balanced, very tasty. It matured in barrel for three months. 13,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.

This rosé shows the color and structure of a light red, delivering cherry, leafy, ginger and earthy flavors, backed by firm acidity and light, firm tannins. Old-school and made for food. Drink now through 2023. 5,500 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Ribera del Duero Select to Add

Tart cherry, lemon-lime and light herbal flavors mingle in this crisp, dry rosé. Displays a pleasantly bitter note and a clean finish. Drink now. 2,000 cases made, 350 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Ribera del Duero Select to Add

The 2011 Monte Castrillo Rose is a Tempranillo left in contact with the skin for several hours. It offers a sweet, candied bouquet with red cherries, candied orange peel and red currant aromas with fine delineation. The palate is well-balanced with crisp acidity, lovely, crisp raspberry leaf and fresh strawberry notes with a lively, taut finish. This is a fine Ribera del Duero rose. Drink now. The hawks were watching when I visited Bodegas Torremilanos. The birds of prey are part of the ecosystem that dovetails into their biodynamic viticulture, keeping pests away without resorting to pesticides and so forth. The family purchased the property in 1975, when wine was worth a pittance, so much so that the father of present winemaker Ricardo Penalba had to pretend that he was buying the land to turn it into a quarry! The vineyards have been expanded over the years so that there are presently 119 hectares under vine. This is an address where new ideas are being put into practice apropos unorthodox grape varieties and vinification techniques, including experimenting with concrete eggs and natural wine. “How do you know unless you try?” is the maxim at Finca Torremilanos. How refreshing to hear that. While they were not necessarily the best wines I tasted during my trip, I admire someone willing to take risks and experiment, just as I encouraged in my introduction. The result is an interesting portfolio that is worth seeking out and following. I spent an afternoon with Ricardo tasting through his portfolio from Ribera del Duero. Since I had the time, I agreed to taste his Cava and VDT wines that comes under the Penalba Lopez label, but will include them here for convenience sake. Importer: Grapes of Spain. www.grapesofspain.com

The medium pink-colored 2010 Montecastrillo Rosado is 100% Tempranillo fermented and aged in stainless steel. Cherry blossoms, rose petals, strawberry, and cranberry aromas lead to a medium-bodied, dry, impeccably balanced Rose with a solid core of fruit. Drink this superb value over the next 12-18 months. Finca Torremilanos is the only estate in Ribera del Duero permitted to produce Cava which they have now been doing for 30 years. The climate is cooler than Penedes where 95% of Spain’s Cava is made. It is made from 90% Viura (vine age 60-180 years) and 10% Chardonnay with 25 months on the lees and zero dosage with residual sugar less than 1%. Finca Torremilanos is to be commended for its effort to expand the winemaking envelope. Importer: Aurelio Cabastrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; Tel. (571)-642-0343