2019 Las Uvas de la Ira

The village red from El Real De San Vicente 2019 Las Uvas de la Ira was already bottled by the time I tasted it in November 2020. This comes from the same five vineyards that range from 40 to 65 years of age and are planted at around 750 meters in altitude on sandy granite soils with lots of silt. The whole clusters fermented separately with indigenous yeasts—one-third with a soft and long maceration (for backbone and length), one-third with a short maceration (for fragrance) and one-third with only half of the skins (or double the juice) for juiciness—and the wines the matured for 10 months in oak vats varying in size from 1,500 to 4,000 liters. These grapes were picked before the rain, and the grapes were not as small as in other villages, so the wine is not as concentrated and tannic as others. There is a high-pitched herbal note here that I'd associate with cooler years; the wine is stony and austere, with a notable absence of heat. This is remarkably fresh and balanced. A triumph over the conditions of the year. 10,649 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2020.