2020 Gran Reserva

A hand selection of 4 barrels from the 2020 vintage with 10% of the remaking 2019 vintage as an addendum. This extended barrel aging gives way to soft big tannins and concentrated flavors and alcohol. This is very akin to the wines of Dubost in the early years, when extended barrel aging was the norm and alcohol levels were always over 16%. In many ways this wine is a throwback. The style is less prevalent today at the winery in order to sacrifice a very smooth and approachable albeit oxidative pallet for freshness and aromatics. However, when the right barrels come along with the right tannin it fits the bill and these barrels did. Pre blended at 24 months the wine was racked and returned from barrel to tank and then back to barrel where it would age until bottling. Due to its 30 plus months in oak this wine has a solid backbone of vanilla and spice to complement the earthy, heady, rich aromas but for me this wine is about the mouthfeel, smooth and complex it never over indulges yet continues gracefully dancing on the tastebuds.