Fuentespina, Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León, Spain) 2016

 This is a very interesting producer that turns out a multiplicity of innovative, cleverly designed wines that are sold at fair prices and offer a wide range of styles and flavors.  This was my favorite of all, even though there’s a higher-end wine (“100 Anniversario” 2016) that is undeniably impressive.  This gets started with fermentation in concrete eggs before transfer to French oak barrels for 14 months.  There’s plenty of oak in the finished product, but the fruit wins out in the end, even though 2016s can be a bit light from this region.  This is quite stylish, and this is a winery that turns out multiple releases that could be very appealing to younger consumers in the USA, so importers…take note.