2018 Dehesa Gago Toro Telmo Rodriguez

Lurid ruby. An expressive bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, candied flowers, licorice and cola, and a minerally element adds steady lift. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering gently sweet cherry and cassis flavors that deepen and become spicier on the back half. Finishes very long and spicy, with resonating florality and smooth, even tannins that come in late.

The 2018 Gago was produced with Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) from the villages of Argujillo, Villabuena del Puente and Morales de Toro in an atypical vintage in the zone, with lots of rain and a cool summer, delivering a generous crop of late-picked grapes between October 4th and 10th. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats and matured in oak foudres and 20% of the volume in barriques for 14 months. The wines are always ripe here, and the challenge is to keep the freshness and achieve elegance. The wine is juicy, round and full-bodied, with abundant, slightly grainy tannins. 42,220 bottles produced. It was bottled in May and June 2019.