Climatology: A classic winter in Ribera de Duero, with a few degrees higher (1-3) than usual in March, April, June, July and August and two degrees lower in January and February, balancing the balance in the remaining months. With some rain in November and the following month. The first frosts did not arrive until January, as mentioned above. Then it was time to prune. We had to wait a few months because of the water. Anecdotally, in March it did not rain at all in the plots. In April there was some rain, and in May it did not rain either, June had to come with water storms, supported by the waters of September, which rescued the plants. Sprouting at the beginning of April in Terrañuela and a week later in Valdecobos and Caleruega. Bud break was almost punctual at the end of April, a month of suffering due to the cold and some hail, and until mid-May in Caleruega, slowly due to the temperature. Fruit set and bunch closure were correct as it did not rain and the environment was dry, without storms. Flowering was around 8 June, a week earlier than expected. The grapes reached pea size around July 24. August was sunnier, with temperatures up to 2 degrees above historical levels. No rain, acceleration of the process, with water stored underground. Veraison occurred somewhat earlier, from August 5 to 8, depending on the plot. The September rains brought sunshine and thunderstorms, those wonderful September rains (5 days (10+17.2+8.1+1.4+0.2)). Large day-night temperature jumps from 31-23º to 16-5º at night during ripening, for excellent grape ripening. September was favorable, maintaining an average temperature of 26º daytime and 12º nighttime, resulting in a slow and steady ripening, long as is customary in good vintages. October had slightly less rain than expected. September-October was a regulator in the evolution of the grapes. The grape tasting, which we started at the end of September, gave us a seed with brownish tones, a grape that detaches well from the cluster and the cluster from the vine, the pulp ripe, homogeneous, already tinted on the sides by a tannin and an anthocyanin that come off with some ease. The grape is reduced in volume. Sweet in the mouth, good acidity and with a slight dryness and astringency typical of the natural coloring. The quality and health of the grapes in this winery is excellent.
Harvest: Lasted one week, in some vineyards up to 11 days delaying the harvest by a few days looking for good acidity. In early October (6) to mid-October (17) by hand and selected on the vine by grape pickers, all members of the family. The grapes were harvested in 12 and 20 kg plastic boxes, stackable for transport. The grapes were harvested by plots looking for optimum ripeness and selection on the plot (first selection).
Wine Making: Harvested grapes put in cellar coolers at 3 degrees for 4 days depending on wines, maintaining acidity, concentrating sugars and colorants. Selection before destemming on a selection table. Vatting of the must, in micro-vinifications by parcels, delaying fermentation (maceration) for 4-5 days, very good coloring release. Pumping over three times a day with the old manual punching down of the cap for maximum extraction of coloring matter. Alcoholic fermentation lasted 8 days and was controlled between 26 and 31 degrees Celsius. Extraction of pips up to 29% in delestages, use of the pips, essential oil. Only yolk must. A natural fermentation A natural malolactic fermentation. Clarification with albumin. Decanted by winter rigor. Not filtered.
Bottling: May-June 2024 (after five months in American, Spanish and French oak barrels).

Colour: Expressive and rich range of colors. Well-dressed, with abundant color, clean, bright (good acidity, better than other years) with indigo details, pronounced, in the rim. High layer, good purple color (intense), perhaps excessive for a young wine.
Nose:Freshness is the word given that it has maintained good acidity. Tones of sweet tannins and perfectly ripe black and red fruit. Intense vinous character, but without bluntness. Balance between hints of black and red fruit, with some spicy notes. Fresh hints of mineral and cinnamon, vanilla and cocoa (new or semi-new barrels), perhaps some caramel.
Palate: Dry fruit forward, but fruity, expressive, blackberry and black plum tones return, some black currant (in the mouth) perhaps a soft tannin and a little less body than in previous years, without forgetting the fruit, enveloping, intense in the mid palate, with some alcoholic bluntness well compensated with the tannin and the slight oak.
Given its texture, we believe that it will keep its qualities for a few years.
Serve at around 15º to 18º degrees.
Keep out of the sun and at a storage temperature of no more than 20º. The bottle lying down or upside down.

ANALYSIS
Alcoholic Grade: 14.20/14.45% Vol. 2 lots (label 14%)
Total Acidity (TH+):5.12/5.35 g/l
Volatile Acidity 0.51/0.67 g/l
Reducing sugar: 1.14/1.71 g/l
Density: 0.994/0.999
Sulphite 23/25 mg/l l (minimum compared to other regions of the world)
Combinations: It goes great with red meats, roasts, stews with vegetables, pickled, it goes very well with tripe or cooked pork snout. Rice with meat and Iberian pork. It is not very good with spicy and sweet dishes.
Date of the tasting April 2 and May 30, 2023
Taster: Gabriel García Agudo (Assoc. Sommeliers Aranda y Ribera).

Nutritional information:
Grape, preservative (potassium metabisulfite, called sulfites on the label), acidity corrector (tartaric acid), stabilizer (polyspartate composed of aspartic acid, a natural acid that prevents precipitation), clarifier (pea protein).
Nutritional value per 100 ml
Energy value kJ......................... 334 kJ
Energy value Kcal...................... 79,52 Kcal
Fat......................................... <0,06 g
Saturated fats..................... 0 g
Carbohydrates........................ 3,00 g
Of which Sugars...............0 ,19 g
Proteins....................................... 0,05 g
Salt.............................................. 0,00369 g


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