2015 was a very powerful year, a vintage of concentration and ripeness. But the 2015 Reserva Especial was produced with more Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and aged in less new oak, and the wine has kept its poise. It combines ripe berries and spices with pungent herbal aromas and flavors that provide freshness. It's round, juicy and powerful, full-bodied and with pungent flavors. The tannins are round and ripe, and it finishes long and dry. They produced 4,000 bottles.

Reserva Especial is a wine that is not produced every year and could be a modern equivalent of a Gran Reserva. The current vintage for this wine is the 2013 Reserva Especial, cropped from what technical director Peter Sisseck described as "the last Atlantic vintage in Ribera del Duero." The idea here is to find a lot of wine that has a special character that is complemented by Bordeaux grapes that certainly give it a different profile, spicy and somehow herbal and balsamic, and also freshness, which is not so much needed in a year like 2013 because it comes naturally. This has a more Bordeaux character, clearly a cool vintage in the zone despite the fact that the wine also reached 15% alcohol. The tannins are very fine and have that French signature. Some 8,000 bottles produced.

Their Gran Reserva-style 2012 Reserva Especial is only produced in certain years (it wasn't produced in 2011, for example), where the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon goes up to 25% to complement the Tempranillo, and the élevage is in new barriques and lasts 26 months. Considering 2012 was an extremely dry year when the grapes were very concentrated, yields were low and the wines had a tendency to be super concentrated and sometimes with excess tannin, this feels very fresh and balanced. This is starting to develop some tertiary aromas in the bouquet from the bottle aging, and the tannins are getting resolved nicely. I feel that the wines from 2015 and 2014 have more precision, as they keep pushing the limits and aim at improving every year. 3,210 bottles were filled in March 2015.

This red shows density and freshness, with menthol and herbal flavors framing a core of cherry, loamy earth and tobacco. The tannins are firm, the acidity bright. Not polished, but balanced and energetic. Drink now through 2024. 25 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Ribera del Duero Select to Add

The 2010 Reserva Especial contains, as always, some 20-25% Cabernet Sauvignon, in addition to the lot that they deem 'especial' for their Tempranillo each vintage, which more often than not the plot they call 'El Picón'. Perfumed and fresh with aromas of orange peel, raspberries, red cherries and some roasted notes in the background. It also has some character of the Riberas of yesteryear. In a way, 2010 could very well be a modern version of 1996, an elegant and fresh vintage. I had the 1996 Crianza a few weeks later, a wine that remained in my memory and that I had not had the chance to drink for a long time; it didn't disappoint me at all. This 2010 is not a shy wine, as it has 15% alcohol, but feels extremely balanced. The tannins are there, abundant and fine-grained, but there's good freshness to compensate them and with time in bottle, should do wonders to polish the texture. This is significantly cheaper than other Ribera del Duero at this quality level. Some 2,500 bottles were produced.