Finca Villacreces 2019

Racy red and black-fruit nose, full of plums and berries. Some iron, roasted spices and wet stones, too. A lucid, succulent and energetic delivery of Ribera del Duero with lots of juicy fruit and quite precise, dusty tannins. Firm, but caressing, with a mineral finish. 86% tempranillo, 10% cabernet sauvignon and 4% merlot. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

I retasted the 2019 Finca Villacreces again next to the 2020, which gave me a good perspective of the evolution of the wine (slow) and the character of the vintage (warm, dry and powerful, with abundant tannins) and showed the different quality of tannins in the younger wine. It's a blend of 93% Tempranillo and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon—lower in Cabernet and without Merlot—and it matured for 12 months in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels, 50% of them new. 2019 was a riper year, and the wine shows it, even if the grapes were picked early. It's juicy and round, with a soft mouthfeel and glossy tannins. 67,923 bottles and 525 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2021.