Mibal Tinto

In May, 2008, I traveled to the small town of Roa in Spain to meet winemaker Miguel Hornillos. MiBal is a small production “garagiste” winery; the winemaking facility is literally in a converted garage, with an apartment upstairs to boot. Their vineyards are in the cooler eastern part of Ribera del Duero in high-altitude, relatively flat sites. Why is that important? Long days and very cool nights, where there can be an almost fifty degree swing in temperature, create structured, darker colored and more aromatic wines than those produced further to the west. The 2006 MiBal Tinto is no exception. Made of 100% tank fermented Tempranillo, it has very pure and rich flavors of black raspberry, blueberry and crème de cassis, notes of milk chocolate, and a definite chewy character to the tannins. Stock up on this limited production wine to pair with grilled lamb chops, which are a popular item in Spain.