Valderiz 2021

Tomás Esteban comes from a family of wine growers and is one of the forerunners of organic farming in the Ribera del Duero; a small area of his vineyards is cultivated using biodynamic methods. The quality of the fruit and the meticulous care in production are guaranteed and this becomes evident merely on opening one of his bottles of wine, such as this Valderiz: an explosion of vigour and fruitiness is a clear indication that we are about to enjoy this wine. (Another point: few wines maintain their vigour and strength of character after two or three days of being opened: Valderiz certainly does, offering yet further proof of its fine quality.) Valderiz is at this point in time a young wine, the result of an excellent harvest, a lively and densely coloured wine, without becoming opaque. It starts off as not especially expressive on the nose, which comes as no surprise from a grape such as Tempranillo, but it gradually opens up with some aeration. It is evidently a wine that needs decanting in order to come into its true self: intense, elegant, very pleasant, rich in ripe fruit aromas, forest fruits, and some Indian ink suggestions on a subtle background of ageing notes (which reappear later with the aftertaste). A fresh and balsamic nose. On the palate, Valderiz is a wine to be enjoyed for its juiciness and fruit intensity, and although not a precisely complex wine, it is a very pleasant drink; it exhibits spicy notes, especially of sweet spices, polished tannins and good body. A wine that lingers well.