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WINES OF SPAIN
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Convento San Francisco
| Kon-Ven-Toh San Fran-Sis-Ko |
DO Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León), Spain
Convento San Francisco was founded in 1998 and today is owned by the Pitarch Rodriguez family.
The winery is a restored thirteenth-century monastery in the fortress town of Peñafiel; the building’s
fastidiously preserved historic walls and structural details make it an architectural treasure, one that belies
the modern workings within. The wines are made by the talented Raquel Acebes, who has worked at
the winery since 2003 and was elevated to head winemaker in 2013. Convento San Francisco’s grapes
are sourced from forty-six different plots in Ribera del Duero. These sites have been carefully selected
to balance the region’s three soil types. In Olivares del Duero and Quintanilla de Arriba, the soils are
calcareous while in Peñafiel, the soils become sandier. Farther east, near Burgos (Gumiel de Mercado), the
sites are at their highest elevations and the soils are sandy with alluvial and marlstone components. Each
site is selected for its altitude, latitude, and soil composition. The vineyards contain old vines ranging from
twenty to one hundred and two years of age, 50 percent of which predate phylloxera.
Roble
| Ro-Blay |
Roble is a pure expression of Tempranillo sourced from the old, gnarled vines of high-altitude vineyards
in the Ribera del Duero. This area is celebrated for its rich cultural history—a component that contributes
greatly to the essence of the final wine. Aged for twelve months in 300 L French and American oak
barrels, this wine is a brilliant dark ruby in color. Roble exhibits a beautiful, perfumed nose of intense black
cherry, violet, sweet spice, and leather. This wine has a full body with velvety tannins that develop into a
long, persistent finish.
2012:
91 W&S |
2011:
88 WS
Convento San Francisco
The flagship wine is a blend of 90 percent Tempranillo and 10 percent Merlot from old vines, 50 percent
of which predate phylloxera. The wine is fermented in small stainless steel vats and punched down twice
daily by hand. It is aged in French and American barrels, 75 percent new, for twelve months and aged in
bottle for two to three years, giving it “Reserva” status. This wine is neither fined nor filtered. Very deep in
color, it has a nose of black fruit, tobacco, anise, and clove, with excellent structure and a lingering finish.
2011:
90 WS |
2010:
91 WA |
2009:
90 WA, 90 WS, 90 D |
2008:
90 WA |
2006:
91 WA, 93 W&S |
2005:
93 WA