VILLAESTER

Type of Wine 

RED, TORO DENOMINACION DE ORIGEN

Grape Varieties

100% Tinta de Toro.

Vineyards

Developed with the most rigorous selection  of grapes, which Come from very old vineyards with a very low yield, where Intensive work is carried out throughout the growing cycle in Order to reduce the production even more and thus guarantee The excellent, final quality of the grape. Moreover, there is continuous monitoring of the ripeness of Each specific parcel, not just the alcoholic ripeness, but mostly The polyphenolic  one (grape skin and seeds) in order to Establish the optimum harvest time.

Harvest 

The harvest is always done manually, using low capacity boxes, And it  is carried  out at dawn,  thereby taking advantage of the Coolest  hours of the day and making a careful selection on the Vine  itself of those bunches that are perfectly healthy and ripe. The  grapes  are moved  to the  winery quickly in  small lots,  in Order to keep the grapes in perfect condition and to guarantee a Low entry temperature into the  winery.

Another manual selection is made prior to destemming the grapes, thereby eliminating any bunch that is not suitable and eliminating the remains of any leaves and branches.

After destemming,  the various  batches  of  grapes,  separated not only by varieties but also by estates of origin, are put into separate tanks  by  hand,  thereby  assuring the complete traceability of the wine, from the vineyard to the final bottling.

Alcoholic Fermentation

Fermentation  takes  place in stainless steel tanks with  small capacities(15,000litres), which are equipped with a dual water Circulation  system for cooling or  heating each tank, thereby Guaranteeing absolute control over the process.

After cold pre-fermentative maceration for approximately 5 days Al 14ºC,  the temperature is slowly  raised until fermentation Starts, the  must  reaches a  maximum temperature of 30º and Throughout this process there are continuous rackings.

Subsequently, post-fermentative maceration takes place, which Exceeds 30 days and ensures that the maximum extraction and Concentration are obtained.  As  a result, the total time that the Must/ wine  remains in contact with the grape  skins can vary Between 45 and 60 days.

Malolactic Fermentation

After  the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is emptied from the tank   directly  into  new,  French  oak  barrels with  a medium toasting and which come from various, selected suppliers. The Malolactic fermentation takes place in These barrels in rooms With temperature and humidity control.

Throughout  this  entire  process,  strict control is maintained of the wine in  each  barrel,  thereby identifying each barrel by not Only the grape variety but also by the specific estate from which it comes. At the end of the  malolactic fermentation, each barrel is  individually  tasted in order to confirm  that the evolution of the wine is perfect in each one.

Ageing

The  final  blending takes place immediately, which always seeks the greatest complexity, intensity and concentration. The wine is returned to the barrels onceit has been combined.The wine is duly aged in new barrels of French oak, with a medium toasting. Close follow-up   of  the  wine´s  evolution  is  performed  through continuous tasting, thereby deciding on the necessary racking and the  optimum  moment for final removal, without taking into account any  rules  about the time for keeping the wine in the barrels. With regard to the 2002 vintage, the total time in barrels was 16 months.

Bottling

As   with   the  previous   stages , the  process  prior  to  bottling endeavours to maintain the characteristics of the wine´s integrity Without  subjecting  it to any aggressive filtering  or stabilisation process, just clarifying it lightly with natural egg whites.

It is important to take into account that no cold process has been carried out with  this wine in  order to  force the precipitation of potassium  bitartrate, a substance that is found naturally in wine.

 It is  therefore possible that there could be some precipitation of crystals over time, perhaps tinted with colorant material. This will never pose a problem for drinking Villaester. Finally , the wine is bottled  at  low speed , in  a  heavy,  conical  Bordeaux  bottle personalised with the shield of the Velasco Family and using an extra-long,  top-quality  natural cork. The  wine will remain in the bottle cellar and willbe tasted regularly so that its commercialisation Starts at the right time.

Tasting Notes

The  result  is a wine  that  presents an enormous concentration of Colour,with dark , cherry-red  tones and broad  flashes of ruby at The edge.

A very dignified bouquet, suggestive and expensive, expressive and original, with  varietal  tones  of  mature  red  fruits,  together  with vibrant  recollections  of toasted-wood, spiced and balsamic aromas.

On the palate, it is outstanding for its great power and concentration thereby resulting in a vey flavourful wine,great fruitiness and body fleshy and with enormous  intensity in its mature tannins, yet to be polished in  the bottle. Very alive and full as a whole, a  solid body And  very  long  persistence, with  great  bottle-ageing  potencial .