Dominio de Es
Viñas Viejas de Soria
A distinguished, refined red wine, from the quality of a group of plots considered ‘Premier Cru’, with pre-phylloxera vines that are cultivated of ecologically.
The grapes are turned into wine with their stems and with a high percentage of Albillo, while the wine is aged in used Burgundian barrels for 18 months for an average production of 5.000 bottles.
Vintage: 2019
Location: Atauta, Soria, DO Ribera del Duero, 950-1000 m altitude
Surface: 2.69 ha in 24 micro plots (shown in the map)
Vine: Pre-phylloxera vines of Tinto fino, Albillo, Alicante Bouchet and Garnacha
Terroir: Sands, gravel, clay, silt, calcareous rock
Pruning: Goblet
Grape growing: Biodynamic
Harvest: Between 1 and 4 October
Total kilos harvested: 8790 kilos, 91%Tinto fino, 7% Albillo, 1% Garnacha, 1% Alicante Bouchet
Vinification: 40% whole bunches, 60% destemming; 18 days for maceration. Temperature between 17 and 29 ºC.
Extraction: Small pigeages every 5 minutes with O2 a day
Crianza: 25 barrels in total, 32% new
Alcohol content: 14.5% vol
Total acidity: 4.1
pH:3.9
2019, vintages ending in 9…
As many of the vintages that end in number 9, 2019 is so far the best Dominio de Es vintage. Quite dry weather, two heatwaves and the vineyard which, despite these features, did not show any sign of stress. Today, it is hard to understand this situation. The abundant and generosity of rainfall in 2018 may have had something to do. The legacy of the weather in 2018 combined with the dry weather in 2019 has resulted in a great vintage.
We only had 266 liters of rainfall from 1 November 2018 to 30 April 2019: A dry winter. As every year, it snowed on 5 April. Sprouting was noted down on 30 April.
Despite the frosts on 4, 5 and 6 May, the vine kept growing at good pace with no difficulties. Spring frosts usually cause stress on the plants, making them re-sprout in an anarchic way not only concerning pruning but also in the whole grapevine. It wasn’t like that in 2019.
There is no record of a frost like the one we had in Atauta on 12 June. Luckily, it was located and affected only 10% of the vine. Soria and its climate keep surprising us…
Flowering happened on 25 June, coinciding with the first heatwave in 2019, which lasted around 15 days. Temperatures reached 40ºC.
The second heatwave spanned from 22 to 26 July. We only had 45 liters of rainfall from 1 May to 31 August. An extremely dry summer.
The rainfalls on 15, 16 and 17 September (31 liters), apart from 9 liters registered on 21 September helped the vines in their ripening process and allowed the grapes to achieve normal size standards and good quantity performance ( 70 cl per 1kilo of grapes, being 63 cl the average of Dominio de Es), despite the extremely hot summer.
These are the average grape weight:
2017: 1,78/grape 2018: 2,05 g/grape 2019: 1,90 g/grape
Undoubtedly, the spring frost ruined a vast part of the harvest and the performance for 2019 was only and average of 2750 Kilos/ha.
Vintage: 2018
Bottling: 17 June 2020
Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria is the expression of 25 plots made up of calcareous soil in a unique village, Atauta. It is located under a microclimate from the valley and genetic pre- phylloxera vines of Tinto Fino and Albillo.
Appellation: DO Ribera del Duero.
Varietal content: 92% Tinto Fino and 8% Albillo.
Harvest: 11 to 22 October.
Alcohol: 14.5 % Vol.
pH/acidity: 3.66-4.7 g/L TH2
Residual sugar: 1.64 g/L
Vine Features
25 plots of ungrafted root stock vines.
Terroir: Calcareous sand, calcareous clay, calcareous marls and calcareous silt
Wine making
Vinification: 30% whole treading bunches and 70% destemmed.
Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation in open wood barrels (1500 l to 3000 l).
Macerations of 12 days average with a mini delestage with O2 a day.
Ageing: 19 months in bourguignonne barrels (228 l) with 54.5% new François Fréres and 45.5% from 2 and 3 wines barrels (F. Frères, Chassin and Dargaud).
Production: 5115 bottles, 154 Magnums and 12 Jeroboams
Vintage as it was with well-defined seasons and generous rains
After the dry winters in 2016 and 2017, the winter in 2018 was generous in terms of rain at last!
Winter was long and cold. The first snow covered the whole north of Spain just before January 6. The last snows happened very late on 9 and 10 April. The typical winter in the Soria region is usually cold and very dry, in fact, the local people say that “the frost consume the water soil”. In 2018 the winter was cold and rainy with full of snow and also mists. These all ingredients were the ones to recover the water suppliers from the soil and the subsoil in the Soria fields!
In the middle of April the temperatures increased suddenly and provoked the sprouting which were registered on 27 April. Temperatures dropped to minus 3 oC on 1 and 13 May and destroyed the young and tender sprouts with their bunches. Luckily, the vines could effortless rebirth from the buds of the vine again.
The weather was still cold and rainy during May and June. As a consequence, the flowering of the vines was very late on 27 June and clearly giving way to “moon vintage”.
The mildew, a well-known disease in Bordeaux, Loire or Burgundy, appeared due to this great amount of rain. The last time mildew appeared was in Soria in 2006.
At the end of July, there were high temperatures from 35oC to 39oC. Consequently, there was a vegetative growth of the branches and we observed a dark green color on the leaves. However, in spite of the heat wave the vines did not suffer at all! The veraison had plenty of sunshine throughout August. Due to this late vegetation we had to improve the vine by removing lateral shoots in order to avoid a possible attack of botrytis.
A curious fact at the end of September: The vines had their typical red color on the leaves. That means the intention to mature at this time of the year. However, at the beginning of October I registered the disappearance of the red color and the return of the green color which predominates in June and is common during the vegetative cycle of the vine.
Another curious fact was the weight of the grapes. The average weight of the tinto fino grapes ranges from 2 to 2.2 grams. However, in 2018 the grapes were full of juicy pulp and their weight ranged from 2.7 to 3 grams as a consequence of the humidity.
Vinification
Harvest in 12 kg boxes from October 18 until October 22.
Grape variety: Tinto fino 95%, Albillo 5%.
Harvest: 28% whole bunches, 72% destemming.
Fermentation in open wooden tanks for 22 days.
15 month crianza in Burgundy barrels and 12.5 % new.
Dominio de Es 2016 Viñas Viejas from Soria has a 3.75 ph, a 4.43 acidity and 14º alcohol content.
The vintage 2016 in Dominio de Es
Dominio de Es was characterized by its quality and quantity, something which had not been seen in the last 17 years. Bertrand, who comes from the French Loire, remembers the great 70, 82, 90 and 2009 vintages in the neighboring country.
It was a special vintage here in every sense. Rose bushes sprouted at the end of January in a winter which seemed to vanish. Very little cold weather in November, January and February, which gave way to late heavy, persistent snow falls, shaped the vintage.
Sprouting started on April 29 and flowering came in the mid June. However, we had a cold, dry summer with no rain in which temperatures reached extreme figures (3ºC at night on August 12).
The rain did not come until mid September, but the vines were kept balanced and alive. Besides, they produced abundant and quality grapes in a natural and spontaneous way.
Aging
Variety: Tinto Fino 90%, Albillo 10%.
The bunches of grapes were put into barrels with the 38% of full bunches and 62% stalking. They fermented in open wood deposits and they macerated for 19 days.
Ageing for 20 months in burgundy barrels of two or three wines (DRC).
The wine has a 3,63 pH, a total acidity of 5,05gr and an alcoholic graduation of 14,5.
Year of vintage 2015
The harvest took place on the 27th September and on the 1st and the 4th October, under an ascending moon.
The year 2015 saw summer with high temperatures and bright sunny days sweetened by well-disperses rainy days on the Soria land.
Despite the summer extreme weather conditions, the vineyard fruit had ripened smoothly. Spring frosts decreased the grape volume in the vineyard and improved the grain ripening, an important clue in the Dominio de Es 2015 wines.
A full mature wine introducing an adult profile, refined in spite of its youth. Refined for the senses, first-class when tasting. Fair acidity gives a noticeable sharpeness, keeping great accuracy. Fine balance and delicate wine.
Production Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria 2015: 3990 bottles.
Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria 2015: 94 points JAMES SUCKLING.
Aging
Variety: Tinto Fino 95%, Albillo 5%.
Dominio de Es was fermented with 50% stems for 17 days at temperatures between 18°C and 26°C at the end of fermentation, with only one 1 pigeage. Ageing for 20 months 100% in two wine barrels (origin Romanée Conti).
The wine has a ph of 3.63, a total acidity of 5.05 and an alcoholic graduation of 14.6.
Year of vintage 2014
Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria was harvested from 1 to 13 October.
The moderate temperatures during the summer enabled the vines to avoid dehydration due to the drought that persisted during the year. Some rains in the fortnight prior to harvest established the perfect conditions for the ripening of the fruit.
Dominio de Es Viñas Viejas de Soria is the result of seventeen successive harvests and unique strains of ungrafted root stock from Soria. As a consequence, the wine obtains a vitality worthy of savouring, with which to enjoy its inherited singularity.
Production Dominio de Es. Viñas Viejas de Soria: 3.254 bottles, 12 magnums, 2 Jeroboams.
Dominio de Es 2014 Viñas Viejas de Soria. Parker 94.