Artadi Valdeginés 2021

Crítica

2021 > 93-94 puntos
The unbottled sample of the 2021 Valdeginés is a little open and a little oxidative, given the fragility of these wines. But this is from a vineyard with very high potential (the prices do not really seem to follow a hierarchical order of quality).
2020 > 94 puntos
The 2020 Valdeginés was bottled after the shorter élevage in barrel, as it was transferred to tank after it finished malolactic. It has 14.5% alcohol and a fruit-driven personality and is fresh and balanced with very fine, grainy tannins. Valdeginés is 4.1 hectares of vines planted in Laguardia between 1982 and 1989 on silty and limestone soils. It fermented in open oak vats with a soft vinification followed by malolactic and nine months in barrel. This is elegant, balanced and medium-bodied, with a very silky mouthfeel, fine tannins and a clean and harmonious finish. 13,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2022. It was a short crop; they lost maybe 40% to mildew, and that might have given it additional concentration.
2019 > 94 puntos
The 2019 Valdeginés comes from an east-facing plot of five hectares opposite La Poza de Ballesteros. The plot was planted 35 to 40 years ago at 600 meters in altitude in the village of Laguardia, and it gets the morning sun. 2019 is a fresh and fruit-driven vintage. Despite the warmth of the year and the lack of water, it has ripe fruit. And it has 14.65% alcohol and mellow acidity, but the palate is not heavy; it's quite fluid. It's harmonious and with very fine and round tannins. A gentle and elegant Valdeginés with lots of licorice, which seems to be the character of the year. The wines are quite approachable and ready in general, but this overdelivers. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021.
2018 > 94+ puntos
I had not tasted the 2018 Valdeginés unbottled, as I did with some of its siblings, but the east-facing plot that tends to deliver more Atlantic, cooler wines saw its character accentuated in the rainy and cooler 2018. The 4.1 hectares were planted between 1982 and 1989, partly on a slope that is quite shallow and with a base of sandstone and partly on some terraces where the soils are deeper and fresher. After a 24- to 48-hour cold soak, the wine fermented in open-top oak vats for some 10-12 days, during which time the grapes were foot trodden twice per day and there was a short pump-over. Malolactic was in barrique, where the wine matured for nine months. This is elegant and nuanced, subtle and insinuating, cool and harmonious. I like very much the character of this vineyard that in 2018 seems accentuated by the style of the year. It has very fine tannins and great harmony in the palate with a fine, velvety texture. This is my favorite vineyard in this price range. Elegant and fresh. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2020.