Solanera Viñas Viejas
- Regular price
- $9.99
- Regular price
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$21.99 - Sale price
- $9.99
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Read About the WineGet to Know This Product
Perhaps it is possible for a “wine professional” to get jaded. Meaning roped into the syllogism that a wine, wine region, or even a whole wine country just isn’t good enough anymore. And then comes along Solanera, and rocks me to the core, dropping me to my knees.
Solanera, as a wine, doesn’t have a highfalutin story. Sometime around 1999, the Castano family (pictured above) found a plot of very old vines of Mourvedre in Almansa, on the Mediterranean side of Spain. Their American importer, Eric Solomon of Priorat fame, encouraged them to build a blend, framing the Mourvedre with Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Tintorera.
Opening with aromas of crème de cassis, kirsch, and blackberries, it seamlessly melds into an incredibly layered palate of blueberries, wet stones and spice box. Like all powerful Napa Cabernets it is muscular, having enough brawn to support its powerful fruit character. At six years old this powerful beauty is at the perfect point of muscular, fruit driven maximum expression. This bottling is from the 2015 vintage and it has been perfectly matured for you - ready to drink, with all its powerful expressive fruit characteristics on full display, its amazing right now.
Sadly, it seems that the Castano family and their American importer may have recently cut ties, leaving this wine in need of a happy home. Which is perfect for us, because we've got it at an amazing discount. Take advantage now.
Critical acclaim:
"92 points. In this wine, from the joint venture with U.S. importer Eric Solomon that started in 1999, they used part of full clusters and sourced the grapes from Casa Marta, a nine-hectare, head-pruned, dry-farmed plot on very stony soils in the north of Yecla at the foot of the Mount Arabí. It fermented in concrete vats and open-top barrels and matured in barrique, each variety separately, for some ten months, after which it was blended and bottled. This is the vintage of the big change in this wine, where, as with the majority of its siblings, there is better balance and more integrated oak, more freshness and better balance. The nose is quite captivating, especially after some time in the glass, when it starts developing some floral aromas, perfect ripeness, no warmth or alcohol and a powerful, yet terribly balanced palate with concentration and elegance, fine-grained tannins and clean, focused flavors. This is my favorite Solanera to date." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
