Los Tres Dones - The Three Gifts 2022

Los Tres Dones 2022 brings together freshness, power and elegance in a single-varietal Tempranillo. The concentration the grape draws from altitude and sun intensity remains defined and controlled here: Ribera del Duero at its finest, with tension rather than mere fullness.

Valdemonjas lies on the Golden Mile of Ribera del Duero; the grapes come from the highest-altitude vineyards around the estate. Alejandro Moyano found the nine hectares in 1997 in Quintanilla de Arriba, where sugar beet grew at the time. The plots are named Palco, Anfiteatro and Platea and lie on the north-facing slope at 700 to 750 metres, where cool nights preserve acidity. The soils are mostly limestone, interspersed with clay, marl and chalk alongside sandy and loamy sections. Each plot is harvested and fermented separately.

Single-varietal Tempranillo, blended from the best plots of the three vineyards, hence the three gifts in the name. Fermentation took place in concrete tank, followed by 14 months in barrique and finally six months in concrete tank. Since 2011, oenologist Luca d'Attoma has advised the estate: less extraction, shorter maceration times, more precise use of oak.

Purple-red in the glass. The nose brings together blackberry and blueberry with spicy nuances and an earthy minerality. The palate entry is precise and structured, the tannins polished, the oak cleanly integrated. Juicy and mineral, through to a texture between silky and velvety that develops grip and leaves a long, aromatic finish.

The bodega won two Architizer A+ Awards in 2016 and operates largely self-sufficiently: photovoltaics cover 90 to 95 percent of its electricity, the sloped roof collects rainwater, and gravity moves the grapes through the cellar without pumps. The balance of the barrels is decided by Charo Agüera, who played violin in the Spanish National Orchestra for over three decades.