Isaac Fernández, Ribera del Duero DO (Castilla y León, Spain) 2014

 This is a new project from winemaking star Isaac Fernández Montaña, among the most versatile and impressive young winemakers in Spain, now available in two debut vintages imported into the USA by Aurelio Cabestrero.  Both wines are wonderful already terrific despite having been aged entirely in new oak, which shows Fernández’s skillful tough.  They are notably different in appearance and palate performance, with this 2014 being softer and more developed (more than could be explained by being a calendar year younger), though this still has years of positive development ahead of it.  Both the aromas and flavors are wonderfully open, with scents and flavors that offer balanced expressions of fruit (with both red and black tones), oak-sourced suggestions of toast, spices and woodsmoke, and savory accents recalling cocoa powder, tobacco leaf and damp earth.  This is rich enough to stand up to the most robust foods, but make no mistake: this is no stupid bruiser of a wine, but rather one of many subtleties and nuances wrapped around a core of beautifully ripened and carefully wrought fruit.  I scored the 2015 a point higher based on a longer expected lifespan, but that is arguably unfair, as those owning both will probably drink this first just because it is already so easy to enjoy.