Valtravieso VT Vendimia Seleccionada

Valtravieso's Vendimia Seleccionada is one of the winery's gems, a wine which shows that freshness continues to be the house's hallmark. Its hand-selected grapes come from six estates planted at an altitude of around 900 metres on chalky and stony soils. The Tinta Fina, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes experience cold maceration before undergoing alcoholic fermentation separately and, once that has finished, maceration goes on for a further few days, so as to gain some extra colour and aroma. Afterwards, the wines go through the malolactic and are subsequently matured in large barrels of new French oak, awaiting the time for blending. Bottling occurs without clarification or filtration, and the wine then rests for about eight months to round off before being released.

In each bottle of Valtravieso VT Vendimia Seleccionada there'll be a dark, dense red, practically opaque and a lovely Picota cherry colour with a crimson rim. On the nose it exhibits complexity in abundance: fine toasty notes from the barrel accompanied by spices (cloves and a touch of vanilla) and balsamic hints reminiscent of eucalyptus, of a wood in autumn. Liquorice and ripe black fruit along with the odd herbaceous note deriving from the Bordeaux varieties in the mix. First contact is a coy sip, but it overcomes its initial shyness to reveal itself as full and juicy. The tannins from the oak are very well integrated within a framework of fruit fresher than at first presaged on the nose. An elegant finish with an aftertaste distinguished by the trace of cocoa and oaky nuances from its ageing. It has a lot of life ahead if you decide to put it by; if you simply can't wait, allowing it an energetic decanting will help you enjoy it to the full.