Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria 2017

From old vines at 1,000m, pre-phylloxera, the wine fermented in large used oak. This is superbly elegant and could not be further from the muscular Tempranillo found elsewhere in Ribera del Duero. Biodynamic.

The 2017 Viñas Viejas de Soria is a blend of different plots of old vines from the village of Atauta and felt floral and expressive. It fermented with some 4% white grapes (Albillo intermixed in the old vines with the Tempranillo) and matured in Francois Frères barrels (half of them new, half second and third use) for 20 months. However, the oak feels quite integrated, and the wine comes through as balanced and supple. There are plenty of fine-grained, slightly dusty tannins and a powerful palate with ripe flavors.

Astonishingly pure and focused with fresh, peppery nuances and a very attractive, rich, ripe cherry and plum nose. There’s fragrant spice and plenty of wet dark-stone complexity, too. The palate has very impressive, deep-set tannins and a strikingly focused, long, deep and polished build into the finish. Try from 2024.