Bodegas Peñalba, Ribera del Duero DO (Castilla y León, Spain) 2019

 This wine is not about fireworks, but rather about purity of fruit, which it achieves at an extremely high level.  I’ve written before (many times, but I’m not done) that young, modestly-oaked Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero is among the world’s most delicious and versatile wines, in addition to being the most transparent of all Spain’s renditions of its premier red variety—and a great value on top on all of that.  This is an object lesson in everything you just read, and I encourage you to put my claims to the test by tasting this, with the promise that if you don’t like it (and can pass a lie detector test to that effect), I’ll come mow your lawn for the rest of the summer.  Medium-bodied but with lots of fresh, dark-cherry fruit aromas and flavors, this is highly expressive, but fruit-driven in its expressiveness, with only wispy touches of spice and oak derived from the 8 months that this spent in barrique (or barrica, in Spanish).  There is essentially no oak tannin to make the finish astringent, and just enough ripe, fine-grained grape tannin to offer grip in the finish and keeping this from seeming “grapey” or unstructured.  This is undeniably delicious.  I’d suggest you not even bother trying to fool a lie detector, but go for it if you wish; my mower is ready.