Las Gundiñas, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo, 2016
Las Gundinas is routinely the most sensual and flashy of the La Vizcaina crus, exuding soft ripe fruit, sweeter truffley aromas with hints of smoke and forest fruit liqueur. Combining both breadth and depth on the palate, it is fuller bodied and more immediately generous with sumptuous creamy tannins. The flatter topography here, clay soils and a south east exposition means that Las Gundinas never struggles for ripeness, yielding a very generous and easy-going wine. Las Gundinas is one of Raul’s lower single vineyards, located at (just!) 500m of elevation. Aged for 1 year in used 225L barrique, 100% whole bunch fermented and kept for 60-90 days on the skins.
critic reviews
Opaque garnet. Mineral-accented dark berries, cherry and candied flowers on the perfumed nose. Chewy and focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry and blackberry flavors that spread out and turn sweeter with air. Gently sweet and smooth on the long, spice- and floral-tinged finish, where dusty tannins add shape and grip.
The 2016 La Vizcaina Las Gundinas comes from a plot with deeper soils, and the wine feels quite immediate and fruit driven. There is a bitter touch in the palate. I've seen some ups and downs with this wine, and Raul Perez confirmed that the wines are variable, but they tend to deliver in the medium term. It's not particularly complex, but it drinks well. 4,500 bottles produced.