The Bodegas Peñalba Lopez S.L. 2009 Los Cantos was produced from a blend of Tempranillo (95 percent) and Merlot (5 percent). The vineyards sourced were planted an average of 20 years prior to the vintage. Fermentation took place over nine days in stainless steel vats with native yeast. Barrel aging followed in French oak. This wine has a suggested retail price of $23. Lovely herb and floral aromas fill the nose of Los Cantos. The palate here is studded with layer upon layer of fresh, dark fruit flavors. This wine is marked by crisp acidity and refreshing flavors that beckon you back to the glass for sip after sip. Bits of French Roast coffee and sour black fruit flavors mark the finish; cherry and blackberry are of particular note and accompanied by minerals and copious spices. Los Cantos is a tremendous value in its price range. It’s the kind of wine you may want to buy a case of, to keep around for everyday drinking.

The Bodegas Peñalba Lopez S.L. 2006 Torremilanos was produced using Tempranillo (90 percent) and White Tempranillo (10 percent). White Tempranillo is a genetic mutation of the original Tempranillo grape and a relatively recent one. The vineyards sourced have more than 90 years of age on them. Fermentation took place in concrete tanks. Aging followed in a combination of French oak (80 percent), and concrete tanks (20 percent) over a period of 24 months. This selection has a suggested retail price of $30. Ripe black cherry aromas and bits of toast mark the nose of this wine. Spices such as cardamom and clove are present on the palate and support oodles of dark fruit flavors which are impressive in their combination of intensity and precision. Black tea, minerals and continued fruit flavors such as cherry are in evidence on the finish, which has excellent length and persistence. This wine will work wonderfully both on its own and paired with full-flavored foods, and is a real knockout.

The Bodegas y Viñedos Neo S.L. 2011 Disco de Neo was produced from 100 percent Tempranillo. The vines sourced had 40 years of age on them. All of the fruit was hand-picked. After fermentation, this wine was aged in a combination of French (70 percent) and American (30 percent) oak for a period of six months. Just over 5,800 cases of this wine were produced, and it sells for right around $20. This wine has a brooding, dark hue. The nose is studded with violets laced with wisps of vanilla bean. Cherries, strawberries and spice are in strong evidence on the palate. Sour cherries and pencil lead characteristics emerge on the finish, which has solid length. This wine, which has good structure and lovely texture, is well suited to pair with just about anything from your grill. It represents a nice value.

Finally, we have the Bodegas y Viñedos Neo S.L. 2010 Neo Sentido. This wine was produced from 100 percent Tempranillo. The fruit was harvested manually from vineyards planted between 50 and 60 years prior to vintage. After fermentation, barrel-aging took place over 10 months in a combination of French (70 percent) and American (30 percent) oak. Sentido has a suggested retail price of $30. Black raspberry and cherry aromas leap from the nose of this wine. The palate here is substantial and weighty with slightly brawny flavors that tickle and please. Black fruits such as blackberry, plum and black raspberries are the stars, but bits of red fruit flavors are interspersed as well. Earth, white pepper and oodles of dark dusty baker’s chocolate are all part of a substantial finish. This is an impressive offering in its price category.

If you’re not familiar with wines from Ribera Del Duero any of these four will serve as a fine introduction to the exciting things they have going on. On the other hand, if you’re already a fan of this terrific Spanish region, here are four wines you’ll want to add to your shopping list. Ribera Del Duero is a region that deserves attention and increasing shelf space with wine retailers. I encourage readers to try these wines as a jumping off point and then explore more wines from the area; that’s precisely what I plan to do.

Check out Gabe’s View for more wine reviews, and follow Gabe on Twitter!

Since it was my first time, I arranged a tour and tasting so I could see the facility and then sample the wines. The tour was very consumer-friendly and took us through the winemaking facility with stops along the way to check out videos of their processes. If you’ve toured a winery, but not one that makes sparkling wine, you should do so to note the number of differences and unique steps involved. I’ve been on a number of tours at sparkling wine houses and I‘m still fascinated. Along the way we sampled three of their widely available offerings. The tour was conducted at a nice pace, leaving plenty of time for questions from the group. Once the tour was over I broke off from the group and sat down on their tasting deck with a friend who joined me that day, to do a more comprehensive tasting. They offer lots of different options for tastings at Mumm Napa and it’s a highly recommended stop for those who love California sparkling wine. There were a number of wines that I really enjoyed. Here’s a look at a trio of my favorites.

The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige was made from a combination of Pinot Noir (51 percent), Chardonnay (46 percent), Pinot Meunier (2 percent), and Pinot Gris (1 percent). The first three grapes are the classic triumvirate most often associated with sparkling wine; The Pinot Gris is something out of the standard realm that they have added. Fermentation took place primarily in stainless steel, and 18 months of aging on yeast followed. This widely available Brut style wine has a suggested retail price of $22. Bits of citrus and white stone fruits fill the nose this wine. This is an entry level selection in the Mumm portfolio, and it’s a classic Brut. The palate is dry and loaded with fruit and spice. Yeast and biscuit characteristics emerge on the finish, which has nice length. While the friendly price makes it an obvious choice for holiday celebrations, this wine will go very well with food whether it’s paired with a first course during dinner or alongside brunch. You’ll be pleased with the results.

The Mumm Napa Brut Rosé is composed of Pinot Noir (85 percent) and Chardonnay (15 percent). To get the lovely pink hue a small amount of the Pinot Noir is allowed to ripen for longer than the rest of the batch, and it’s fermented and vinified separately. Its addition to the final blend adds color and complexity. This wine is available nationally and it has a suggested retail price of $24. The salmon hue of this wine is striking the minute you pour it into the glass. Wild red berry aromas fill the nose. Strawberry and cherry fruit characteristics are dominant on the palate, and they’re joined by bits of red raspberry, as well as white pepper and clove. Bits of flaky biscuit emerge on the finish along with continued spice. This is a substantial wine that’s delicious on its own and will pair well with a wide array of foods.

Finally, we have the Mumm Napa 2005 DVX. This flagship wines made up of an even 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. About 33 percent of the wine was aged in oak, for depth and an additional layer of complexity. Five years of aging on the yeast in bottle followed. After being disgorged from the yeast, it spent an additional 6 months being bottle-aged prior to release. This wine has a suggested retail price of $65. The name DVX was chosen as an homage to winery founder Guy Duveaux. Stone fruit aromas fill the nose of this wine with apple taking the lead. There is a finesse and elegance to the palate that’s apparent and impressive from the first sip you take. Toasted almonds, bits of citrus and lots of spice characteristics are present from the beginning to the end. The finish here is persistent and impressive in both length and depth. This is a wine that is lovely today but will age well. I had the opportunity to taste the 2000 vintage of DVX on my visit, and it was a stunning knockout of a wine. Vintages will age differently, of course, which is one of the beauties of wine. However the winemaking style offers a connective tissue. The bottom line is that Mumm DVX is one of the best examples of vintage sparkling wine in California.

Most wine-making countries have a tradition of sparkling wine production. The Champagne region of France is most well known of course. California has a number of producers making some seriously delicious sparkling wines, and Mumm is one of them. They offer a wide portfolio that has a little something for just about everyone with a taste for bubbly. The trio described above is the tip of the iceberg; check their web site or your local fine wine shop for more options. Better yet, pay them a visit when you visit Napa Valley, I guarantee it’ll be a delicious stop on your journey.

Check out Gabe’s View for more wine reviews, and follow Gabe on Twitter!

The hottest name in the UFC’s middleweight division belongs to Chris Weidman. Fresh off a beat down of leading middleweight contender Mark Munoz, it was just announced this week that he will next fight Tim Boetsch on December 29^th for the right to face Anderson “The Spider” Silva with the belt on the line.

His ascension to legitimate middleweight contender has been quick thanks to his willingness to fight (five fights in a year and a half) and a commitment to discipline, including a 32 pound weight loss in 11 days prior to fighting Damian Maia.

“I had to cut 32 pounds in 10 days on top of not being in great shape. I pretty much came right off the couch and took that fight. It definitely wasn’t a great idea for me and was probably the worst experience I ever had. So, I wouldn’t recommend anyone else doing that and I would never do it again myself.

“But it was a huge opportunity for me and I found a way to win against a guy who was top five in the world at the time. I was fighting at about 10% of what I generally feel like I fight at, but it did more for my confidence than any other fights, even the ones I’ve finished in the first round. After that fight I got a lot of criticism because it wasn’t a very exciting fight and I looked tired but it did a lot for my confidence regardless.”

What has created so much buzz about Weidman is his overall multifaceted skill set, and his ability to finish fights in different ways. In the course of going undefeated in his first five UFC fights, Weidman has collected both “Submission of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” honors, an incredibly rare feat.

“I don’t really have a preferred way to end a fight, I just want to end it and win, “said Weidman. “It’s always a good feeling to knock someone out, but I don’t want to be one of those guys who only looks for knockouts and get caught because that’s what I’m looking for exclusively.

These days, Weidman’s name has been increasingly linked with middleweight champ Anderson Silva. Thanks to the way Silva has torn through every one the UFC has put in front of him, and the quick rise and exciting fights Weidman has fast become known for, it’s a fight the fans want to see.  But Silva’s camp has been reluctant to accept.

“It’s frustrating,” said Weidman about trying to orchestrate a fight for the title. “Since I got into the sport anytime I’d tell people I was doing MMA they’d ask what weight class and I’d say middle weight and they’d say “Isn’t that Anderson Silva’s weight class? Oh, you’re screwed. You better change weight classes, pal.” That motivated me and he deserves that type of respect ‘cause he’s earned it, but it motivated me to take risks like fighting on short notice and I’ve worked really hard to be the #1 contender and for him to just kind of downplay me, more his managers, it’s kind of frustrating. So I hope the UFC makes the fight happens but if not, I will fight someone else.

Currently Chris is a member of “Team Edge” shaving gel and is in the running to become the next “Face of Edge.”

“Basically it’s a contest,” said Chris. “There are four guys in the running to be the face of Team Edge Shaving Gel from the beginning of July to the end of September. The winner becomes the next “Face of Edge” so basically the winner will have their face on a couple million cans of edge shaving gel cans. I’m trying to win but I’m in second place and I’m down by a lot, these numbers are weird man. I think there’s some cheating going on (laughing).”

To listen to the full audio interview click here.

Follow Chris on Twitter at ChrisWeidmanUFC

Check out Edge Shaving Gel and vote for Chris at Edgeshave.com/ufc