Description
Type:
Bottle / RED
The wines of Casa Aurora seem to live and breathe as we drink them; they expand and retreat, sparking revelations as we follow along. La Vendañona is generous and inviting, made from two adjacent piezas totalling one-third hectare (belonging to Amor Fernandez and farmed by Germán Blanco). The 100+ year-old vines are planted on south-facing slopes of iron-rich red clay soils with gold-inflected granite rocks at 890 meters altitude. 60-70% Mencia and 15% Garnacha Tintorera with Garnacha and white varieties Palomino, Godello, and Doña Blanca, co-fermented in amphora and open-top barrel (no destemming) then aged for one year in a single 400 liter used french barrel. Heady floral and herbal aromas recall the wild lavender, thyme, flowering hara, and cardoons that line the vines of La Vendañona; on the palate there is grip and length, with brambly purple berries and sweet chewy plum skins, ripe tannins, loads of lavender, tea leaves and subtle spicy incense, anchored by startling acidity that makes for a perfect pairing with seared duck breast. ARIANA ROLICH