2005 Atalayas de Golban Ribera del Duero

I opened a bottle of Atalayas de Golban the other night to have with a rack of lamb. The combination of Tinto Fino (the local Tempranillo) and lamb is classic and sublime. And this Ribera del Duero from Madrid wine merchant Miguel Sanchez and winemaker Bertrand Sourdais is a beauty. The grapes come from Sanchez’s second property, Atalayas de Golban (his first is Dominio de Atauta -- famous and much more expensive). Atalayas comes in at a terrific price for such a graceful and irresistible Ribera del Duero. It’s versatile enough to carry you from barbecue days through to braised-meats season.

-- S. Irene Virbila

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Quick swirl

Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Price: About $20

Style: Supple and ripe

Food it goes with: Rack of lamb, braised lamb shank and beans, burgers, pork belly.

Where you find it: Amazing Grapes Wine Store in Rancho Santa Margarita, (888) 299-9463, www.amazinggrapeswinestore.com; Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463, www.hitimewine.net; Manhattan Fine Wines in Manhattan Beach, (310) 374-3454, www.manhattanfinewines.com; and Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 769-4639, www.winex.com.