Tempranillo "Flor de Vetus", Bodegas Vetus, Toro, ES, 2018

91Pts WA: The organic entry-level 2018 Flor de Vetus is Tinta de Toro from vines around the winery next to VIllabuena del Puente planted in 1999 and certified organic in 2018. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for 11 months. It has contained ripeness and moderate alcohol and acidity, reflecting a cooler year with a long and slow ripening of the grapes. It's sleek, polished and very balanced, with unusual elegance for the region. 124,027 bottles and 100 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2020.

Bodegas Vetus was created in 2003 with the purchase of a 20 hectare property by the Anton family, proprietors of Finca Villacreces in Ribera del Duero and Izadi in Rioja Alavesa. The vineyard is planted with 100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo), in a poor soil which produces low yields of concentrated grapes. The hot and dry climate of Toro produces unmistakably big wines that many producers try to tame them with plenty of new oak. The harder path, and the one Vetus has taken, is to restrain the natural rusticity of the terroir and to promote balance and elegance in the finished wines. To achieve this they are careful to harvest grapes that are not over ripe, prevent excessive extraction during winemaking and employing a greater proportion of second and third-fill barrels for the aging of their wines.