95 Points Wine Spectator: “This powerful red delivers cassis, blackberry and garrigue flavors, framed by espresso, tar and mineral notes, well-integrated and supported by muscular tannins and balsamic acidity. Dense but lively, with floral and mineral accents on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2031.” – Thomas Matthews, July 2016
FROM THE PRODUCER
Color: Cherry red with purple trim. Clean and bright. Nose: Aromas of candied red fruits in harmony with aromas of roasted coffee. Spicy notes of clove and thyme make it a particularly fine and complex wine. Palate: Very balanced, silky across the palate thanks to the maturity of its tannins and fruit and perfect level of acidity.
Grapes: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot Vineyards: From vineyards over 80 years old. The undulating and sloping terrain offers varied soil types (chalk, sand, clay, loam) and diversity of terroir within the contiguous property. Viticulture is 100% organic. Winemaking: Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand into gravity flow process in temperature controlled tanks with spontaneous fermentation via native yeasts. Complete malolactic fermentation is in new French oak with subsequent two years aging in new French barriques. Winemaker: Francisco Barona Alcohol: 14%
ABOUT DOMINIO BASCONCILLOS Grand Cru Ribera del Duero for the 21st Century
In the late 1990s Burgos native José María Basconcillos sought virgin land in Ribera del Duero to accentuate the region’s Continental climatic extremes and to provide the perfect conditions for organic viticulture. He found it in a private hunting property of 125 acres near Gumiel de Izán at the northernmost extreme of the appellation and at an elevation of over 3300 feet. Location of the earliest monastic vineyards in the area, Dominio Basconcillos represents a return to the high slopes.
Using cuttings from ungrafted vines in the nearby winegrowing communities of Gumiel de Izán and Peñaranda de Duero, indigenous Tinta del País (Tempranillo)
clones were obtained for in-field grafting in 2001. The undulating and sloping terrain offers varied soil types (chalk, sand, clay, loam) and diversity of terroir within the contiguous property. Viticulture is 100% organic.
The state of the art bodega, located among the vines château-style, is efficiently designed to obtain maximum quality. Grapes are harvested and delivered in 16kg crates, de-stemmed, and thrice-selected before entering the gravity flow process as whole berries. Bordeaux-trained native enologist Francisco Barona seeks concentration with maximum freshness and balance, taking advantage of the high elevation, low-pH fruit to conduct patient and natural winemaking. The wines undergo malolactic and are aged in a mixture of French and American oak, one-third new, for the time required according to wine and vintage.
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