Hacienda Monasterio, Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León, Spain) 2018

 I’ve tasted some stunningly good vintages of this wine from one of Ribera del Duero’s most admirable producers, yet I didn’t find the 2018 rendition to be all that admirable.  The fruit seems clearly marred by some over-ripeness that manifests itself in some stewed notes, and though all that ripeness provides it with very smooth texture, it seems overly soft and even a bit formless for such a young wine.  This bottling used to be designated as a Crianza, and though I am generally quite approving of the overall movement in Ribera del Duero toward de-emphasizing wood in favor of purity of fruit, this is a wine that would have benefitted from additional “framing.”  I’m not a fan of wood tannins (by comparison to grape tannins or even stem tannins from whole cluster fermentations), but this wine needed more tannin from whatever source.  These are appropriate criticisms for a wine that rings up at $45, but don’t get me wrong:  It is delicious for now, but just comes up short of what it usually is, and should be at this price level.