By Bodegas Virtus
Vega del Yuso 2015

Vineyards
The grapes come from a selection of plots located in towns with a long wine-growing tradition - Moradillo de Roa, a Castilian plateau with river gravel terrain situated at 950 meters; Sotillo de la Ribera, where cultivation of vines and the wine trade formed the central pillar of its economy as far back as the 16th century, and Hontoria de Valdearados, with ancient vineyards. The different origins of the grapes - each with their own characteristics, virtues, and harvest dates - provide 'Vega del Yuso' a spirit that expresses each town's and terroir's personality. The vineyards - cared for with respectful ecological criteria - require manual work, with green pruning essential for the harvest. The stripping at the beginning of summer allows the sun's rays to illuminate the developing berries. During the thinning, only the ideal bunches to be harvested remain on the vine.

Harvest and Winemaking
Manual harvest in boxes of up to 13kg capacity. Cooling of the grapes to 4 degrees C in the refrigeration room of the winery. Manual selection of clusters on a triage table and subsequent selection once de-stemmed. Cold pre-fermentative maceration at 10 degrees C for seven days. Alcoholic fermentation and maceration. Vinification of each vineyard plot separately in small thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks for four weeks. The maceration is carried out by a very gentle pumping-over and manual punching-down.

Aging
Half of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in lightly toasted French oak barrels, respecting the essence of the grape. The wine, keeping its fine lees, is aged in barrels for 18 months.

Tasting Notes
Deep purple red with garnet tones. Very ripe red fruit aromas with an intense and complex balsamic background on notes of compote and mineral tones. Intense, silky, and long-lasting. Balanced mid-palate where the toasted touches surround the very ripe red fruit. Round and polished tannins accompany the mid-palate to find hints of spices and rosemary in the retro olfaction.
[Information provided by W. Direct]

Virtus 2015 Vega del Yuso Reserva (Ribera del Duero)
Rating: 94 - Editors' Choice
Price: $144
Designation: Vega del Yuso Reserva
Variety: Tempranillo
Appellation: Ribera del Duero, Northern Spain, Spain
Winery: Virtus
Alcohol: 15.00%
Bottle Size: 750.00 ml
Category: Red
Importer: Continent Wines Inc
Date Published: 4/1/2022
Reviewed by: Mike DeSimone
Deep ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose of black currant, cedar and clove. It is generous in the mouth, with flavors of black cherry, blackberry, toffee, anise and violet. Tannins slowly develop on the tongue and gums and then linger on into a drawn-out finish.