2011 5V

The 2011 “5V” is produced in a similar way to the rest of whites, fermented and aged for five months in new French oak barrels in contact with their lees, but seems to have a stronger imprint from the wood. As is often said, the total is more than the individual parts and the blend here works very well, displaying the complexity and nuances in the nose and the palate of the different grapes, balancing and complementing each other. The nose is quite complex, with notes of smoke, yellow and white fruits, white flowers and balsamic aromas. The compact palate shows power as well as plenty of well-integrated oak. I’d be very curious to see how this wine would develop if it was put through extended aging in wood like the whites from the past, as produced like this it is already delicious. This is not cheap, but at this quality level it is still good value. Drink 2015-2020. Abel Mendoza, a true vigneron from San Vicente de la Sonsierra, looks after 20 hectares of vineyards that his wife, Maite, turns into some 70,000 bottles per year. They started in 1988, like many others, selling a young, carbonic maceration red, and since then, sticking to their guns, they have slowly climbed all the way to the top. Nowadays they have no less than six whites, five varietal ones (they are only missing Maturana Blanca) and the last one a blend of all five local white grapes aptly called 5V. All white varietals are produced in the same way, fermented in new French oak barriques where they stay for five months in contact with its fine lees, so tasting them together makes for a fascinating comparison of the characteristics of the different grapes. I found their quality quite similar, and preferences come down to personal taste. Even though the winery seems to somehow have specialized in whites, they also produce a full and very noteworthy range of reds. Imported by Jose Pastor Selections, Richmond, CA; tel. (510) 237-0077; www.josepastorselections.com