Bardos Villalvaro2021

RED WINE

Ageing

12 months in a 5,000-liter European oak vat.

History

In 2004 when we began our exploration in the search for the wine regions with most potential in Spain, we discovered Paramo de Corcos, a difficult but privileged area for viticulture, at more than 900 meters above sea level in the heart of the Ribera del Duero. There, we took up the challenge of creating honest wines on the land from which they came, seeking the essence of high-altitude vineyards full of freshness and elegance.

Since 2016, we have also been exploring a hitherto uncharted region, the Ribera in Soria, where we have discovered vineyards that exceed our expectations: ferrous clay soils, over a thousand meters in height, and an uncommon freshness.

At Bodegas Bardos we elaborate wines in an artisan fashion, aiming to have them reflect the Castilian landscape and climate of a place where only the bravest dare to work the land in the most extreme conditions, where the cold shrinks the bones, the wind cuts the flesh and the sun burns the skin. A place only suitable for the authentic "bards" of wine, our wine growers.

Tasting notes

It stands out for its great intensity, excellent depth of color, but above all for its luminosity, with some cherry reddish tones and violet hues on the rim accompanied by bluish glints. Denotes a youthful and fresh character at first glimpse. On the nose it is an inspiration to the ethereal world, to the fresh air; a combination of jasmine flower with citrus notes of acid grapefruit, surrounded by a variety of red fruit that characterize the expression of fresh fruit and denote boundless inner energy. A more balsamic side appears in the background, eucalyptus and aromatic notes that evoke height and sublime freshness. Its great complexity does not prevent it from brimming with frankness and a subtlety of great depth. Delicate attack and brimming with energy on the palate; it is the example that exemplifies modern fine winemaking by reflecting an environment. Balance and elegance are in its DNA; constants throughout its passage in the mouth. The soft tactile sensations of its structure intertwine with the fresh fruit, the result of cultivation at high altitude. A wine that perfectly reflects the nuances of the high mountains.

Terroir

Small plots (some with just two or three lines), where vines planted more than 80 years ago coexist with others that are more than 140 years old and pre-phylloxera. Vineyards situated in the most northeastern region of the Ribera del Duero, in the ancient town of Villalvaro, on the Ribera border, in the province of Soria. This is the highest and coldest area of the entire denomination of origin due to its proximity to the Picos de Urbion and the pine-wooded Soria mountains. Some plots are almost a thousand meters above sea level. The soils are sandy with a small percentage of gravel. The soils are well drained, but at the same time very fresh, since the clay-ferrous substrate is found at a depth of one meter, which helps to maintain humidity even in very dry periods.

Vinification

Fermentation and maceration during 3 weeks in 9,000 kg vats at 28C. Malolactic fermentation in a 5,000-liter European oak vat.