Bodegas Ismael Arroyo, Ribera del Duero Crianza, “Val Sotillo”

Northern Spain’s Ribera del Duero region has its share of high-wattage names: The iconic Vega Sicilia is an international headliner, as is Alejandro Fernández (Pesquera), and while Bodegas Ismael Arroyo may be less widely known, it is no less foundational to one’s understanding of Ribera del Duero wine.Today’s 2014 Crianza, named “Val Sotillo” for the sub-region it is sourced from, is a genuinely important Ribera del Duero red for less than $30. And, given that the reds of Ribera del Duero have become some of Spain’s flashiest, biggest, and, as such, highest-scoring wines, it’s refreshing to encounter one that shows some restraint on both the price and weight scales. Further, in a region that has become known for blocky, heavily oaked styles, this one is all about the intense, dark-toned fruit of very old-vine Tempranillo (a.k.a. Tinto Fino/Tinto del País in these parts). Organically farmed and exceptionally pure, this voluptuous yet elegant red was born, not made, at one of the five f