Winemaker Notes
The 2021 vintage was marked from the outset by a lack of soil moisture, which limited vine growth, resulting in smaller clusters and berries. However, this was precisely corrected during green pruning. The vines efficiently utilized the unusual June rains, which, combined with the average summer temperatures, allowed the cycle to complete slowly and without stress or setbacks in the vineyard. The wines from this vintage are characterized by their balance and aromatic complexity.
Blend: 62% Tempranillo, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 4% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The greatest seller 2021 Selección Especial was produced with 62% Tempranillo, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 4% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, with more Atlantic grapes in this cooler year. It has ripeness at 14.6% alcohol in a year when the grapes ripened slowly and achieved notable alcohol but also more aromas and flavors. It fermented by plot with a short maceration and without using pumps and matured for 12 months in French oak and 45% American oak barrels, 30% of them new. It's nicely crafted, harmonious and balanced, combining power with elegance. This is a champion in availability.
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Wine Spectator
There’s a sanguine thread to this lively red, with hints of iron and game lacing its macerated blackberry and cherry fruit. Muscular tannins are a chewy, well-meshed frame, and notes of leafy herbs and licorice root linger on the finish. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Garnacha. Drink now through 2036.
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James Suckling
This unique blend shows aromas of dried figs and blackberry compote. The palate is fleshy with ripe, round dark fruit flavors complemented by precise, focused tannins.
The rebirth of a historic vineyard and of a whole winemaking tradition, the excellence of which remains intact, laid the foundations for today’s Abadía Retuerta winery. It now has over 30 years of history, as expert hands manage the vineyard by carefully looking after it and creating unique wines with their own Protected Designation of Origin.
Abadía Retuerta is a unique place where time stands still and feelings run high. Here, the past lives on in the present, and centuries of tradition and culture remain intact. It sits within an enclave bathed by the river Duero, which defines the traits of the surrounding terroir. Experts with great patience, know-how and anticipation really get the best out of the terrain: they respect the natural cycles and help the vines adapt to the austere climate of the region, in order to produce one of the estate’s most prized assets: its first-rate wine.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.