Wine of the Week

1996 Tinto Pesquera, Ribera del Duero (Spain).

About $24.

Just released, the 1996 Tinto Pesquera from Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez won’t stay on the shelves long. One of the long-established stars of the Ribera del Duero region in north-central Spain, this is an estate that produces great wine year in, year out. And the 1996 is no exception. Made from a local variant of Tempranillo, it’s an opulent red wine with a pleasantly long finish that tastes of plums and dried cherries. Because the tannins are so well integrated into the wine, it’s delicious drinking now. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops in two or three years. Keep in mind too that the estate also produces a spectacular “reserva” and “grand reserva.”

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Available at Red Carpet Liquors, Glendale, (818) 247-5544; and Wine Club, Santa Ana, (714) 835-6485. If you can’t find this wine, ask your local store to order it from the distributor, Henry Wine Group, (800) 669-9429.