Luis Gutiérrez, July 2026
C.V.N.E.
Bela Ribera del Duero Roble 2024
- 92 points -
Despite a challenging, unusually wet growing season and a hot summer, careful vineyard management delivered fresh, highly aromatic wines like the 2024 Bela, with excellent balance, silky tannins and vibrant acidity. It was produced with their grapes from Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), harvested into 300-kilogram harvest bins and fermented in stainless steel. It matured in French oak barrels for nine months and comes in at 14.1% alcohol, with a pH of 3.65 and 5.3 grams of acidity, parameters of ripeness, freshness and balance, reflecting the more balanced year. The wine is serious and balanced, with restraint and elegance, and it has integrated oak and a classical old-style profile. They managed to tame the power that comes from the abundant clay in Villalba, and they have managed to come to a balance, delivering a wine that is fine-boned and has elegant tannins but is neatly compensated by the acidity. It's very Ribera, and very good at this price point. 75,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025.