The 2014 Corimbo I, their top bottling, fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in French and American oak barrels, 40% to 50% of them new, for 16 months. 2014 was a heterogeneous vintage in Ribera del Duero, and I cannot really describe the style of the wines from that year because they seem to be all over the place. Some wines seem to be weaker than the 2015s, and the élevage here feels a little harsh for the quality of the juice. There are plenty of smoky, toasty and spicy aromas and flavors, and the wine comes through as medium-bodied with plenty of dusty tannins and faint bitterness in the finish. 36,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2016.

I also did a side-by-side tasting of two vintages of the top bottling, and I ended up favoring the 2013 Corimbo I, which shows the freshness of the year and bypasses the challenges of the harvest. However, the wine seems to have suffered a bit with the élevage, and it isn't as vibrant as the outstanding second wine from 2013. Don't get me wrong, this is a great year for Corimbo I, but it's not better than the regular Corimbo. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2014.

The balsamic and aromatic 2012 Corimbo I has aromas of cola nut, black peppercorns and Mediterranean herbs, denoting a very dry and warm vintage. It's also powerful and concentrated, which fits nicely with the conditions of the year. There are still some tannins to be resolved, despite the wine having been in bottle since September 2015. 18,728 bottles produced in this low-yielding year.

This time I did taste the top of the range, the 2011 Corimbo I, which is produced with the fruit from the older Tempranillo vines fermented in oak vats and matured for 14 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels, of which approximately half were new. After the time in barrique, the wine completes its élevage with a further six months in oak vats. You can feel the ripeness of the vintage as soon as you put your nose in the glass, especially when tasted next to the 2012 Corimbo; here the fruit is darker and the spices are different too, cloves perhaps, and something reminiscent of licorice and an earthy, mineral touch with hints of ink; a little more marked by the oak. This has larger bones, a wine fruit of a warm and dry vintage, not as dry as 2009 and not as wet as 2010, but something in between. There's more concentration, more power, and more tannins that are a little powdery and leave a slightly drying sensation. This is a powerful, ripe Ribera del Duero, faithful to the vintage that needs food and/or little more time. 40,000 bottles produced.

The 2010 Corimbo I is aged in 50% new oak, 80% French and 20% American. It has a very correct bouquet, quite conservative with clean dark cherry and strawberry fruit. The palate is very smooth with a sweet cherry soda, licorice-tinged entry, succulent tannins and a lush, espresso-infused finish that shows good persistency. This is well made, if not memorable. Importer: Kobrand, New York, NY; www.kobrandwine.com