VO Cobrana, Veronica Ortega 2019

The 2019 VO Cobrana has a similar profile to the 2017, from the field blend of Mencía, Alicante Bouschet, Estaladiña, Palomino, Godello and Valenciana in a very old vineyard at some 750 meters in altitude on decomposed blue slate soils in the village that names the wine. This is the fourth vintage of this Vino de Villa de Congosto. The full clusters fermented in open troncoconic 5,000-liter oak vats, co-fermenting all the varieties—red and white—in a long maceration, trying not to degrade the skins. It matured in 225-liter oak barrels and 800-liter tinajas for 15 months. The 2019 feels very young; it's a vintage that is not as immediate as 2018. This wine has more depth and more clout than the Kinki, especially as the 2019 vintage has more structure than 2020. It's serious and nicely textured, not as fragrant as the 2018, somewhere between Burgundy and the Rhône. There is a little more wine in barrel here, and that might have increased the serious profile. It feels like the higher altitude and the slate soils keep the freshness that is difficult to keep on the valley floor. 3,600 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2021. Drink 2022 - 2028.