Montsant Tinto, 'Venus'

Score

96

"The 2021 Venus La Universal from Montsant is composed of Cariñena and Garnatxa, macerated for nine weeks and aged for 42 months in foudres and concrete. Aromas of fine red fruit—pomegranate, watermelon and cherry—merge with Mediterranean herbs and subtle, well-integrated oak. lean, silky and lightly chalky, it carries vital energy across the palate. The cool vintage sharpens its profile, leaving length and a stem note. Intriguing and drinkable in a distinctive regional style."

Score

96

"The red 2021 Venus la Universal has a bright ruby color and a floral, perfumed and elegant nose full of wild herbs. The 60% Cari¤ena and 40% Garnacha fermented with full clusters with a long maceration, four or five weeks, kept in the fermentation oak vat, with the next harvest moved to another vat and then to concrete, completing some 42 months of ,levage. The long ,levage seems to have given it great harmony and made it very stable and subtle, the result of a slow cooking, leaving the wine nuanced, complex and terribly elegant. It has a medium-bodied palate, with very fine, chalky tannins and an elegance, inner energy and light like I have not seen before. Very elegant and fine-boned, it has a moderate 12.5% alcohol. It should develop nicely in bottle. It was bottled in February 2024."

Score

95

"A 60-40 Garnatxa-Carinyena blend of old-vine parcels, the 2021 Venus is more savory than fruity, spicy, peppery, and dusty, a very exciting wine. Black-fruited, the mouthfeel is generous and the wine full-bodied with power and concentration, but never heavy, showing balance and complexity in equal measure. Some whole-cluster fermentation adds to the verve of the wine and enduring freshness, before aging took place in neutral oak foudres and concrete. Drink now through 2036."

Score

94+

"The eponymous red 2020 Venus la Universal is the result of a long time working with Cariñena from limestone soils from the zone of Montsant. Because of black rot, the Cariñena is complemented by some 40% (or less) Garnacha grapes that are fermented together, all foot trodden with full clusters in oak vats with five to seven weeks of maceration then pressed and kept in the fermentation vats and then moved to oak foudres (2,000-liter ones); after that, it is kept in concrete to complete at least three years of aging. They lose the fruit but gain in complexity. The Cariñena has more elegance, and the wine develops more soil nuances, truffle, damp earth, reminiscent of an earthy Nebbiolo but with some herbal notes and a peachy Mediterranean hint , with a medium-bodied palate with chalky tannins. It has good ripeness, 14% alcohol and good freshness, with a pH of 3.46 and 5.5 grams of acidity."

Score

93

"A lively, citric style of Carignan with fresh plum and blackberry fruits, orange peel, violets and a touch of toast. 2024-2032"

Score

94

Score

93