Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero

Region:Ribera del Duero, Spain

Vintage: 2020

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape:86% Tempranillo10% Cabernet Sauvignon4% Merlot

ABV: 14.5%

Notes: Vegan, Vegetarian, Practising organic

This wine is inky purple in colour with an expressive bouquet of espresso, toasted bread, graphite and wild blueberry. The palate is full-bodied, with layers of plush black fruit, woodsmoke and nutmeg, structured by fine grained tannins and juicy acidity,

The vineyards here are a mixture of soils: sandy, gravel, shingle and quartz. Each soil type contributes to different flavours in the fruit as well as to very low yields of around just three tonnes per hectare. The vineyards are planted with about 86% Tempranillo (mostly on the sandy vineyards, which give an attractive fleshiness to the wines), 4% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (mostly on the quartz and shingle, giving more mineral complexity). Organic practices are used as much as possible and the close proximity of the river helps protect against frost. The vineyards lie at 710 metres above sea level and are planted with a density of 2,200 vines per hectare.

Finca Villacreces was described by Robert Parker as the hidden jewel of Ribera del Duero. The estate is based at the heart of the Ribera del Duero DO, forming part of the golden mile along with its immediate neighbour Vega Sicilia to the west, Pingus and other such high-profile estates. Located in Quintanilla de Onsimo, the stunning estate was purchased by the Antn family of Izadi in 2003 and the resulting wines, made by winemaker ngel Ortega together with Luis Laso, are deep, dark and focused in style.

https://villacreces.com