Flor de Vetus

The 2021 Flor de Vetus has an expressive nose of ripe berries, flowers, herbs and spices from the slow ripening grapes from the vines planted around the winery on sandy and clay soils at 725 meters above sea level. It contains some 4% Garnacha co-fermented with the Tempranillo with indigenous yeasts isolated from their property. The wine matured in 225- and 500-liter French oak barrels, 20% of them new, for 12 months. It has 14.1% alcohol, a pH of 3.68 and 5.03 grams of acidity and comes through as balanced, approachable and easy to understand, with the ripe character from the zone and a juicy palate with fine-grained tannins. 105,223 bottles and 100 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2023.

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.

Tinta de Toro planted in clay soils yielding 4,000 kg/ha. Punching down during fermentation and nine months' ageing in French and American oak. It has a characterful nose, not refined but full of ripe black fruit, prunes and cinnamon. It is broad and dense, a bit austere on the palate, packed full of rough tannins. It is very characterful for a €10 wine. The wine is a regular in the lists of the best quality/price ratio wines in Spain despite the fact that the winery was just created in 2003.