Large wineries do not tend to produce heart stopping wines, but their bottles are usually reliable and safe, as is the case with the 2011 Bracamonte Reserva from the Yllera winery; this wine is pure Tempranillo aged for 24 months in French and American oak barrels, and one further year in bottle before being released (to comply with the requirements of the 'reserva' category). It has the creamy oak and spices over the core of ripe black fruit, and a medium to full-bodied palate with abundant, fine-grained tannins that would welcome a roasted lamb, the classical dish of Ribera del Duero. This is very similar to their crianza, though the difference seems to be the time in oak.

The 2004 Bracamonte Reserva comes from a great vintage in Ribera del Duero. Still dense purple in color, it offers up an aromatic array of sandalwood, exotic spices, incense, assorted black fruits, and a hint of balsamic. Ripe, rich, and plush on the palate, this layered, beautifully proportioned offering is likely to evolve for another 2-3 years and deliver a drinking window extending 2013 to 2024. Grupo Yllera owns 240 acres of vineyards and controls another 660 in Rueda, Ribera del Duero, and Toro making both estate and negociant wines. It is a well established brand in Spain and is now moving to get a foothold in the USA market as domestic sales take a hit from declining demand. The Yllera label includes wines blended from Tempranillo vineyards in Toro and Ribera del Duero, hence the more generic DO of Vino de la Tierra Castilla y Leon. Importers: Siema Wines, Springfield, VA; Touton Selections, New York, NY; Lionstone International, Lake Bluff, IL; A & B Wine Imports, Seattle, WA; Truwines, San Francisco, CA; and Spain Wine Collection, New York, NY