Telmo Rodríguez Gago 2018

The 2018 Gago was produced with Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) from the villages of Argujillo, Villabuena del Puente and Morales de Toro in an atypical vintage in the zone, with lots of rain and a cool summer that delivered a generous crop of late-picked grapes between October 4th and 10th. It fermented in oak and stainless steel vats and matured for 14 months in oak foudres and 20% of the volume in barriques. The wines are always ripe here, and the challenge is to keep the freshness and achieve elegance. The wine is juicy, round and full-bodied, with abundant, slightly grainy tannins. Drink date: 2021-2028. Score – 93. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, Aug. 19, 2021)