Bodegas Lavia Plus Monastrell 2016
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Robert
Parker
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100% organic Monastrell, vineyards 50 – 80 years of age.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red Monastrell 2016 Plus+ has a little less alcohol than the 2015, and the wine feels fresher. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in 10,000-liter oak foudres and 500-liter oak barrels. It was bottled unfined. 2016 was a cooler year, and the wines show more elegance and freshness. There is a touch of spicy oak, a little more integrated than in previous years, and there is more fruit and some grainy tannins. There is finesse, but it's a little obscured by the oak.
Bodegas Lavia Winery was established in 2003 when a small group of winemakers joined together to produce exquisite wines in the Murcia region. With a mission to deliver the best organic wines of the Bullas DO, Laura Ramos of Envinate fame and now Sebastian Boudon helm this project who’s focus is on ancient Monastrell grapes. Bullas is an area of great promise for the future. It is an ancient growing region that dates back to Roman times. Interestingly, it is the youngest DO (delimited growing region) of Murcía.
Laura Ramos is a rising star winemaker who’s intrepid vision of dry farmed, organic vineyards ranging from 50 to over 100 years of age has completely transformed the identity of both Monastrell and the Bullas region as a whole. Laura Ramos focus is on profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel they work with in a clear and concise manner. The latest seduction is the idea of being able to work with native varieties of her home region, with the greatest respect for the vineyard and the environment.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.