2017 Vendimia Seleccionada
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Tasting notes
The 2017 VS was cropped from a dry year marked by spring frosts that reduced the yield and resulted in their earliest harvest to date. However, the effect of the frost here was different, as they didn't suffer the big frost of the night of the 28th of April; the frost here was on the 1st of May and was not as severe (-2 degrees Celsius), so the grapes were from the first generation, not the second like in some places in Ribera del Duero. They picked the second week of September to preserve the freshness of the grapes and did a short maceration and soft vinification. It's a selection from two 70-year-old vineyards in the village of Traspinedo and Tudela, and it matured in French oak barrels for 26 months. If 2017 was an atypical year, this is atypical within that: the wine is lighter, more aromatic and open with lots of finesse and elegance. It's very approachable and one of the few VS bottlings that delivers instant gratification. A real triumph for the vintage. 43,292 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2020.
Critic scores
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Jeb Dunnuck
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Inky violet. Powerful black and blue fruit preserve, vanilla, candied licorice and espresso aromas are enlivened by building spice and smoky mineral notes. Youthfully chewy, palate-staining blackberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors show impressive depth and turn sweeter through the back half. At once rich and energetic, with youthfully gripping tannins adding shape to a very long, spice-accented finish that leaves dark berry and violet pastille notes behind.
Coming from two vineyards and 100% Tempranillo, the 2017 Mauro VS Vendimia Seleccionada was aged 26 months in French oak. Loaded with blackberry, black cherry, and currant fruit as well as notes of spice and graphite, it's full-bodied and has beautifully integrated oak, silky tannins, and a great finish. As with all these releases from Mauro, it's a ripe, concentrated wine, yet its balance, purity, and tannins are spot on. This beautiful, elegant wine will impress for 10-15 years.