Abadía de San Quirce, Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León, Spain) 2016

 This is meaty, oaky, unapologetically traditional Ribera del Duero made entirely from Tempranillo, and those who love wines in the style made famous in the USA by Pesquera in the late 1980s will find that same style here (arguably better executed when measured against recent releases from Pesquera).  There’s ample spice and toast in the bouquet, as in vanilla and campfire embers, but the fruit is gutsy and satisfying even from a vintage that isn’t known for that attribute.  This will definitely benefit from cellaring for a good five years, and more than that if possible, but there’s no reason you couldn’t crack in to this now with a bit of aeration and maybe some grilled lamb.