Dominio de Atauta 2014 Magnum

As I did with many of their wines, I tasted two vintages of the eponymous red, starting with the 2014 Dominio de Atauta, produced with a blend of the 25 different terroirs of their vineyards. The vines are old and mostly ungrafted, and the destemmed grapes fermented in 5,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts; the wine then matured in French barriques for 12 months plus a further two months in oak vats. I was surprised to see, as I saw in other wines, that this 2014 felt riper and warmer than the 2015, which follows the character of the years for this zone, which is quite different from other zones of Ribera del Duero, especially in the province of Valladolid. Of course, it's the subtle nuances that are noticeable when comparing the two years side by side. 48,775 bottles and 1,260 magnums produced. It was bottled in August 2016.

Now for something different. From the far east in Soria, very old vines on sandy soils over calcareous bedrock deliver a fresh intensity. Nothing baked or roasted here. Refined and penetrating, with a saline edge.