Bodegas Los Astrales, Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León, Spain) 2009

Importer Aurelio Cabestrero has the (indisputably) strongest collection of wines from Ribera del Duero of any US-based importer, and the wines are just as impressive in terms of quality and value at the lower end as at this prestige level. Top bodegas made great wines in 2009, and this bottling is an object lesson demonstrating the excellence of the house as well as the vintage. You’ll know that you’re in Spain right after popping the cork, as the heady aromas of vanilla, toast, spices and woodsmoke will hit you before you can even get your nose into the glass. However, what is most impressive is that the ripe, dense, luxuriously generous and deep fruit flavors easily outrun the oak notes, showing great persistence of flavor and buffering the tannins throughout the very long finish. Difficult to resist now, the bodega’s track record indicates that this will actually improve for another 15 years. Which is a little scary.