Bodegas Protos Winery

• March 2010

  Here are some suggestions.    Vega Sicilia is probably the most ... latter gives you things like Protos, which has an ocean of wine in their cellars, but it’s middling.  More recently, a lot of growers started doing their own wine and there’s been an... Read moreHere are some suggestions.    Vega Sicilia is probably the most ... latter gives you things like Protos, which has an ocean of wine in their cellars, but it’s middling.  More recently, a lot of growers started doing their own wine and there’s been an explosion of wineries, which is what accounts for the price increases you mentioned, as well as the creation of the wineries above.  Since it’s no longer anonymous wine, they want to be paid for it and some of it is in fact quite good. Bodegas Peñafiel for example, was started by 15 friends who met while at the university.  They’ve got great vineyards and they’re trying to produce great wine, not co-op wine.The result is that people are still finding their way.  Arzuaga is a throwback in a way, kind of like Pesquera, making “old school” wines that are pretty good for the price, age well, and their intro is something like $12 or so retail.  Carmelo Rodero is another that’s a bit old school, as is Briego, although they’re a relatively new bodega, having been established in the 1990s.  I guess I’d put Telmo Rodriguez in there too.Then you have things like Emilo Moro.  More “modern” but you really can’t use those terms here.  Their top wine, Malleolus de Sancho Martin, or Mallelous de Valderramiro, can be expensive but delicious.  However, their base line is a really good job and even the $22 wine actually needs a bit of aging to show best.  Arrocal is another young winery – their low end at around $15 is always a buy IMO and they’ve got a higher end one too, around $30.  Look for them.Bodegas Alcon is very new, makes outstanding wine, and is looking for an importer because their wine is rather expensive.  Too bad the economy isn’t cooperative today because they’d be making some serious noise.  Modern and lush wines with great structure, completely delicious and they’re organic producers although the law will not allow them to be certified because their neighbors grow cereal crops and fertilize.  I hope they survive the downturn.  These guys represent a different trend. They don’t have the marquee winemakers like Pingus, Mauro, etc., or the old-time name like Vega Sicilia or even Pesquera, and they’re not small time-artisinal winemakers either.  They are perhaps comparable to some of the Napa producers – i.e. they’ve invested serious money, they’re serious people, they are making serious wine, and they expect to charge serious prices for it.  Is the wine worth the money?  Sure.  Perhaps more than most.  But it’s a bad economic time to be introducing premium products.Felix Callejo has an entire line of wines that merit attention, from the $20s to over $100.  Also kind of “modern” in style, but again, that’s relative because there’s no comparison really.  Valderiz is another producer that is kind of under the radar but if you ever get a chance to taste one with some age, you wonder why you weren’t smart enough to buy a few cases years ago.Cillar De Silos is interesting and typifies yet another type of bodega.  They are small and I guess you can call their wines “modern” but their aesthetic is slightly different from some of the others.  This group of wines is as tannic and tight as any classified Bordeaux and should be treated the same.  You’re not going to get slatherings of buttery oak and jam from these wines.  Instead you get massive tannins, dark fruit, earth, spice, and something that needs plenty of aging after which it will be simply magnificent.   Cillar de Silos makes a few wines and their top wine,  Altos de Revilla, will only be produced in great years.  First was 2004.  It’s only $45 to $50 and in a blind tasting, you should try it with some wines that are double in price.  Their lesser wine, Toresillos, deserves note.  Because the locals were so impressed, a group of them from a neighboring co-op got together and gave their grapes to the winemaker to vinify.  The result is El Quintanal, which is cheaper and really represents a serious bargain.  Nearby to these people is a winery I represent, J.A. Calvo Casajus, that is really a tiny one man operation.  He makes wines of similar style. They’re closed at first but I’ve had them with 10 years and they’re magnificent.  These kinds of wines aren’t necessarily all that appealing to the person who wants to pop and pour, but to the person who knows a bit and has the ability to age something, they’re some of the best value wines on the market.Hornillo Ballesteros is another tiny one-man garagiste operation that also needs more PR. There are just so many more, Finca Torremilanos for example, They buy and age the wood and make their own barrels.  Then there are producers like Valderiz, and if you are lucky enough to taste their wines with some age, you wonder why you didn’t buy a few cases a long time ago.   You can look for Finca Villacreces, Hacienda Monasterio, Vina Sastre, Prado Rey, Perez Pascuas, Valduero and just too many others that are actually making good stuff.And I have to put in a word for Abadia Retuerta.  As great as Aalto?  Of course not. But they’re good and widely available. Years ago I went into a store and asked for a bottle.  The woman who managed the place haughtily told me that they were owned by Novartis (which I knew) and that she would not sell something that would be supporting a pharmaceutical company.  She would instead suggest something else.I replied that I’d probably had more Spanish wine than she ever would and knew exactly what I wanted and incidentally, when my father in law was hit by a speeding car and his spine was injured, or later when he was in the hospital suffering from cancer, the pharmaceutical companies produced the products that made his life bearable.  I never bought anything from that store again    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A question for those in the... by GregT

  
  
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  February 2010

  Bodegas Protos Ribera de Duero 2005

  Snoothrank: Starting at $12^.99

  Wine that you always can trust on it

  Wine review by Trinity76

  
  
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  December 2009

  Bodegas Protos Ribera del Duero Protos Reserva 2003

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by huryuan

  
  
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  November 2009

  Bodegas Protos Ribera del Duero Crianza 2005

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by TheBalrog

  
  
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  November 2009

  Bodegas Protos Ribera del Duero Crianza 2005

  Snoothrank:

  This is so easy to talk about, perhaps some may say it does not have enough weight. A sale bottlle that later a found some oxiditation on the cork. Anyway complex bouquet, even found some floral hints and guava taste. Good acidity good tanins...

  Wine review by cesarhdez

  
  

• Oct 2

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• Oct 2

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• September 2009

  dmucker - what's the relationship between the three wines you mention above? ... de Haza. It's more than Protos but well worth the extra money. Again, nothing against Protos, but they have to revert to the mean when they're blending grapes from so many different vineyards. So... Read moredmucker - what's the relationship between the three wines you mention above? ... de Haza. It's more than Protos but well worth the extra money. Again, nothing against Protos, but they have to revert to the mean when they're blending grapes from so many different vineyards. So you get the average, but not the exceptional    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Protos by GregT

  
  

• September 2009

  If you want to go for more memorable, at twice the price or more, how about these from Ribera del Duero? http://www.snooth.com/wines/aalto+2005/ http://www.snooth.com/wines/mauro+2006/1/1/0/125/recommended/0/ http://www.snooth.com/wines/alion+2004/1/1/0/125/recommended/0/ I'm not... Read moreIf you want to go for more memorable, at twice the price or more, how about these from Ribera del Duero? http://www.snooth.com/wines/aalto+2005/ http://www.snooth.com/wines/mauro+2006/1/1/0/125/recommended/0/ http://www.snooth.com/wines/alion+2004/1/1/0/125/recommended/0/ I'm not familiar enough with the ins and outs of RdD at all price ranges, so maybe GregT can give more recommendations?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Protos by dmcker

  
  

• September 2009

  their winery cellar is so big you actually need to drive around in it. They were a bunch of growers who got together to pool their grapes and have now developed into this huge winerz. Not knocking them but they dont produce much that is memorable IMHO. There is so much good wine in... Read moretheir winery cellar is so big you actually need to drive around in it. They were a bunch of growers who got together to pool their grapes and have now developed into this huge winerz. Not knocking them but they dont produce much that is memorable IMHO. There is so much good wine in RdD that you may want to look around for something more interesting.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Protos by GregT

  
  

• September 2009

  Here are a few options that just popped up on search: http://www.snooth.com/buy/bodegas-protos-ribera-del-duero-crianza-2005-7/ http://www.snooth.com/buy/protos-ribera-del-duero-roble-2006/ http://www.snooth.com/buy/bodegas-protos-ribera-de-duero-2005/ There were others that came... Read moreHere are a few options that just popped up on search: http://www.snooth.com/buy/bodegas-protos-ribera-del-duero-crianza-2005-7/ http://www.snooth.com/buy/protos-ribera-del-duero-roble-2006/ http://www.snooth.com/buy/bodegas-protos-ribera-de-duero-2005/ There were others that came up, some in North America and some in Europe. Besides locally, you can also, of course, order online. What you need to do is type in the wine you want to find in the Search box at the top of this page. It'll then take you to a page of the wines, and, if you click on the 'compare prices and buy' button on the right, you'll get to the links for various merchants.... I haven't had any of the Protos offerings, but do enjoy!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Protos by dmcker

  
  

• September 2009

  I live in Massachusetts and I am desperately seeking any of the Ribera del ... Duero varieties from Bodegas Protos. They are a fantastic bodega and their wines are very popular even in Spain. This could be because of the overall quality and value (it's only $12.99). I am willing to... Read moreI live in Massachusetts and I am desperately seeking any of the Ribera del ... Duero varieties from Bodegas Protos. They are a fantastic bodega and their wines are very popular even in Spain. This could be because of the overall quality and value (it's only $12.99). I am willing to drive and I live in Boston. Can anyone comment on this    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Protos by rschultz7

  
  

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