Vega Sicilia Pintia 2020 (RP94)

By Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 94
The 2020 Pintia is from a powerful year of concentration, so they were very careful with the harvest date, did a softer vinification trying to extract less and included amphorae and less toast in the élevage. It's opulent and juicy but gentle. The wine reached 15.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.9 with 4.4 grams of acidity. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It was a very warm and dry vintage in Toro, with a heat wave before the harvest, so they had to rush to pick the grapes; and still, the wine is richer and more powerful, even though the amphorae helped them contain the sensation of ripeness in the wine. It has a heady and ripe profile that's very aromatic and showy, with notes of very ripe berries, prunes and decayed violets, with a faint volatile twist. It matured 70% in new barrels, 10% in used barrels, 10% in stainless steel and 5% in clay pots. It's full-bodied and lush, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. It's a ripe and powerful vintage for Pintia, but it evolves nicely in the glass, showing less of its ripe side with time, which to me is a good sign. Some 14,304 half bottles, 209,009 bottles, 6,645 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in August 2022.

Wine Spectator 93
A graceful red, with lovely purity to the core of mulberry and roasted black plum fruit. Shows flattering notes of rooibos tea, fennel seed, vanilla, espresso and mineral. Defined by sculpted tannins, this is enmeshed in a silky texture, while lightly mouthwatering acidity carries the detailed profile on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2040.