2020 Hacienda Monasterio, Reserva Especial, Ribera del Duero, Spain

The 2020 Reserva was produced with a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, a selection of two plots, mostly from the zone of El Picón below the winery where the soils are very white and rich in limestone and the Cabernet from the gravel and sandy soils. 2020 was a little warmer than 2021 but cooler than the following years, 2022 and 2023. This is always a very serious wine, and it has ripeness and 14.5% alcohol but very good balance and harmony, with enough freshness and acidity to come through as a powerful but elegant. The differences between this and the regular Hacienda Monasterio are basically the origin, the plots and a slightly higher percentage of Cabernet and perhaps a little more new oak (no more than 40%), because the Cabernet Sauvignon from Hacienda Monasterio takes the new oak very well compared with Tempranillo, because the grape ripens very well and integrates the oak very well. It is full-bodied, powerful and elegant, with stuffing and balance to develop nicely in bottle. 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2023.