Winemaker Notes
Deep, black cheery color and a vibrant aroma of fresh fruit. In the mouth we find a well structured and perfectly balanced wine with an exquisite after taste.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A red with blackberry and plum aromas and flavors and orange-peel undertones. It’s full-bodied with ripe tannins and a flavorful finish. Give it a year or two to soften and come together. Drink after 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The organic entry-level 2018 Flor de Vetus is Tinta de Toro from vines around the winery next to VIllabuena del Puente planted in 1999 and certified organic in 2018. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for 11 months. It has contained ripeness and moderate alcohol and acidity, reflecting a cooler year with a long and slow ripening of the grapes. It's sleek, polished and very balanced, with unusual elegance for the region. 124,027 bottles and 100 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2020.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.