Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria 2020

I also tasted the bottled version of the 2020 Viñas Viejas de Soria that I had already tasted from barrel previously, as winemaker Bertrand Sourdais was convinced it was something exceptional since the wine has much lower alcohol than ever—this is 12.97% when it regularly reaches close to 15% alcohol. It fermented with 25% full clusters in 1,500- to 3,000-liter oak vats followed by malolactic in barrel and 15 months in French oak barrels, 25% of them new. This is every bit what the barrel sample promised—paler than the 2021 I tasted next to it, perfumed, fine-boned and with great balance and freshness, coming through as elegant and powerful. At the same time, it also feels more and more like old-school Ribera del Duero, like the wines from the past... 7,893 bottles were filled in February 2022.

Hints of licorice, sweet violets, minerals, mussels and coca cola to the mossy blueberries and blackberries. Tight and elegant on the palate, with dense, chalky tannins and a lingering finish. Dry and very tight now. Keep for three years before opening. Drink from 2025.