There is a change in the 2020 Matallana, as they have included Jean-Guillaume Prats (ex-Cos d'Estournel, ex-Lafite...) in the Ribera del Duero project, and the wine is going to be sold for the first time with this vintage through the négociant system of La Place de Bordeaux. The grapes from the five villages (mentioned but then crossed out on the label) were picked between the sixth and 18th of October and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and oak vats. The wine matured in French oak barrels for 14 months. This is a little riper than the 2019 I tasted next to it, despite both being 14.5% alcohol (at least on the label). It follows the path of seriousness and austerity of the last few vintages and has a very calcareous mouthfeel with chalky tannins that lift up the finish. 19,624 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.

The 2019 Matallana is a blend of 85% Tinto Fino with some 15% other varieties such as Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and even white Albillo. 2019 was a very classical vintage with power, concentration and plenty of tannin, and the wine should develop and benefit from extended time in bottle. The wine feels very young and primary, with integrated spices from the élevage in oak, a medium to full-bodied palate, powerful and concentrated but very balanced. As I said in previous years, it's a Ribera like the ones from yesteryear! 18,676 produced with the selected grapes from 21 hectares of vineyards. It was bottled in July 2021.

The 2018 Matallana is the only wine they produced in Ribera del Duero, a traditional blend of Tempranillo with approximately 15% other varieties—Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and white Albillo—from different soils in five different villages: Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured for 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. It has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.68. The wine is subtle, harmonious and elegant, complex and with integrated oak, very expressive with velvety tannins and a long, dry, chalky finish. This is superb, elegant but with the Duero rusticity and stone minerality. It has to be the finest Matallana to date. 22,020 bottles produced. It was bottled in May and June 2020. They skipped the 2017 of this wine, as the year was decimated by killer frost.

The Ribera del Duero project has been changing and a work in progress for a while, and there's only one wine produced, of which this time I tasted the 2016 Matallana. It's a traditional blend of Tempranillo with approximately 15% other grapes—Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and white Albillo—from different soils in five different villages, Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured for 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. 2016 was also an abundant crop of wines with freshness. It's a traditional red with elegant rusticity and subtle aromas, already gaining some tertiary notes, integrated oak and a medium to full-bodied palate with fine-grained tannins, fine but still identifiable as Ribera del Duero. They have the idea to renovate an old house to make the winery, but they are facing bureaucratic problems... 22,665 bottles produced. It was bottled in May and June 2018. There will be no 2017 of this wine.

The Ribera del Duero project has been changing and a work in progress for a while, and there's currently only one wine produced, of which I tasted the 2015 Matallana. They want to go back to the tradition of blending different vineyards and villages (in their case, Sotillo de la Ribera, Roa, Fuentecén, Fuentemolinos and Pardilla) to produce one great wine as showcased by pioneers like Pesquera, Teófilo Reyes and Valsotillo. 2015 was a low-yielding year because it rained during flowering, causing a poor setting of fruit, mostly Tempranillo but, like all the old vineyards, with perhaps up to 15% other varieties such as Valenciano (Bobal), Navarro (Garnacha) and even white Albillo. The vineyards are worked organically, and their grapes fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts, followed by 14 months in French oak barrels of different ages. What came to my mind when I put my nose in the glass was, "oh, a Ribera like the ones from yesteryear!" It has rusticity and ripeness, character, austerity, nuance, detail and complexity. It's medium to full-bodied with surprising balance and is seamless, harmonious and compact, with focused and pure flavors that are velvety and tasty. This has to be the finest vintage to date. 16,884 bottles produced (from 21 hectares of vineyard!). It was bottled between May and June 2017.