The Ribera del Duero appellation is blessed with a combination of terroir, microclimate and the native Tempranillo grape that gives superb, complex red wines. At an average altitude of over 800m, Tempranillo (known locally as Tinta del País or Tinto Fino) grows thin-skinned fruit with refreshing acidity, which in turn produces wines that are delicious when they are young but also have the capacity to age magnificentally.

"The plain of Old Castile, stretching in tawny leagues north from Segovia and Avila to the old kingdom of Leon, is traversed by the adolescent Duero, the river that in Portugal becomes the Douro and the home of Port. It is the broad valley of the Duero that has an ancent winemaking tradition. At 2,624 ft (800m) the nights are remarkably cool. Spring frosts are all too common. Grapes are routinely picked in November. The light and air have a high-altitude dryness and brightness about them, as do the wines. They are concentrated reds of remarkably intense color, fruit and savour."
The World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson