Tim Atkin MW returns to Ribera del Duero for second 'Special' report

By Harpers Editorial

Published: 21 November, 2022

Harpers’ columnist and leading Spanish wine authority, Tim Atkin MW, has unveiled his second Special report on the wines of Ribera del Duero. The Master of Wine has been a frequent visitor to the vineyards of the region and has published his ranking of the top wines from there since 2017.

“I first went to Ribera del Duero in 1991, when there were around 75 wineries and 9,000 ha of vineyards,” Atkin said. “Today, there are 307 bodegas and 24,000 ha. Every time I go back to the region, I come away with a better understanding of its wines, as well as greater admiration for what it has achieved in this famously extreme landscape."

This year, Ribera del Duero is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of the creation of its Denominación de Origen. So now is a “good time to look back to that date (and beyond to Roman times) as well as to the future. How will Ribera del Duero develop now?” Atkin said.

Atkin tasted a total of 576 wines from 160 producers across the region in September 2022. Now par for the course in his reports, this edition includes in-depth background on the region, covering the history and some of the other factors which have shaped its evolution, as well as Atkin’s own photographs of the leading wine producers and the landscape of the area. He also offers his own ranking of the leading ‘growths’ in the region, in a nod to the legendary Bordeaux 1855 classification.

“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Ribera del Duero is currently making the best and most diverse wines in his history, with new producers emerging every year to swell the ranks of already established names. A total of 376 of the wines I sampled received 90 points or more and three were awarded 98 points,” Atkin concluded.

The report runs to 111 pages and is available to buy and download from timatkin.com.

Ribera Del Duero’s 2022 ‘podium’ results are as follows:

Winemaker of the Year: Bertrand Sourdais of Dominio de Es and Bodegas Antídoto

Young winemaker of the Year: Ricardo Velasco of Bodegas Valtravieso

Winemaking legend: Peter Sisseck of Pingus and Hacienda Monasterio

Co-operative of the Year: Bodega Tierra Aranda

Cellar Door of the Year: Bodega El Lagar de Isilla

Viticulturist of the Year: Ismael Sanz of Dominio de Atauta

Overall Red Wine of the Year: 2020 Bodegas Valdaya Mirum

Overall White Wine of the Year: 2019 Dominio del Aguila Blanco

Overall Rosé of the Year: 2020 Bodegas Antídoto Le Rosé de Antídoto

Red Wine Discovery of the Year: 2020 Magna Vides Bancales del Sardal