D.O. Ribera del Duero, Spain - 97 PARKER. Tempranillo mostly, with Blanca from the country, Garnacha and Bobal. Being an irregular ripening vintage, they had to make a very severe selection of bunches, so that they were left with only a few ripe bunches essential requirement to make wines with all the scratch. The fermentation was carried out spontaneously with its indigenous yeasts and it was raised approximately 35 months of aging in French oak barrels. It was not filtered or clarified. Just 18.834 bottles were made. Recommended by the sommelier.
DOMAIN OF THE AGUILA
Dominio del Águila is a family winery based in La Aguilera, a small town in the Ribera del Duero, and run by a couple formed by Jorge Monzón and Isabel Rodero, "vigneron" and architect respectively. In 2010 they joined forces to make their dream come true ...
The winery belongs to the "Denomination of Origin Ribera del Duero" and is located in the "Ecological Council of Castilla y León." The greatest asset of the Domain is the vineyard, with 30 hectares of very old vines, the majority in organic agriculture , in addition to 5 Ha relatively young (under 50), are suppliers of grapes from some of the main wineries in the region for more than 10 years.
Jorge's passion is the vineyard, he comes from a family of several generations of winemakers and his studies were based on 'Soil, viticulture and enology' at the universities of Bordeaux and Burgundy. He worked with prestigious wineries such as the Domaine De La Romanée-Conti for more than two years. He has also worked in Spain for the Vega Sicilia Group for one year and as technical director of Bodegas Arzuaga-Navarro for nine campaigns. Since 2013 he has been working full time in Dominio del Águila.
Simultaneously with the years of apprenticeship and experience in other wineries, Jorge recovered the vineyards of the family, until he had the property of an important vineyard estate of very high quality, true Grand Crus ... where the Tempranillo grape is the true protagonist, coexisting in a very friendly with other varieties such as white of the country, bobal, garnacha, albillo, tempranillo gris, etc.
Along with the work of recovering the vineyards, they recovered a traditional 17th century winery and six underground cellars / galleries from the 15th century, which have been connected and where they have concrete tanks and oak barrels. Starting with viticulture and ending with winemaking, in Dominio del Águila all the processes are carried out in an artisanal way, being very respectful with nature and making a symbiosis between tradition and knowledge. From the use of herbal infusions, such as valerian or yarrow, for the treatment of the vines, until the wine is not clarified or filtered. With these premises, the final goal of Dominio del Águila is to make pure and fine wines. Organic wines that are capable of aging for a long time, but which, however, can be enjoyed at any time. All their wines are made without destemming and trod in the winepress as in the past. The malolactic fermentation is carried out in "cubillos" (old term in the zone to denominate the barrels) of oak of the highest quality and aging in underground galleries. Currently there are about 250 oak cubes. The main brand of the winery is Dominio del Águila Reserva.
The 2013 was a complicated year, although the budding of the vine was briefly ahead, temperatures that were recorded during the spring, with lower values than usual, slightly delayed the growth cycle. 2013 was the coldest harvest of the last 10 years, a difficult and challenging year with rain (and botrytis) during the harvest that put the wineries to the test, only the best ones were able to take advantage of the circumstances to produce a more fresh and balanced wine. Dominio del Águila Reserva 2013 is mostly Tempranillo, with Blanca from the country, Garnacha and Bobal. Being an irregular ripening vintage, they had to make a very severe selection of bunches, so that they were left with only a few ripe bunches essential requirement to make wines with all the scratch. The fermentation was carried out spontaneously with its indigenous yeasts and it was raised approximately 35 months of aging in French oak barrels. It was not filtered or clarified. Six hundred and ninety bottles were worked. Dominio del Águila Reserva 2013 is intense on the nose with notes of red and balsamic fruit quality with a floral background. The palate has a texture of velvet with structure and good acidity, with a long journey and persistence.
Optimal consumption: 2017-2027.
Pairing: roasts, lamb, suckling pig, grills, stews and the best hunting pieces.
