2015 Dominio del Aguila Reserva Ribera del Duero

I tasted two very different vintages of the red Reserva bottling, the warmer and riper 2015 Reserva and the cooler 2016. This 2015, despite the natural conditions of the year has managed to keep moderate alcohol and good freshness, possibly with the aid of old vines and surely through a lot of work in the vineyards. All their vineyards are organically farmed (now certified), and the wines ferment with indigenous yeasts and nothing is added or taken out, as they only use a minimal dose of sulfur. Even a red from a warm year like this took nine months to finish fermentation, so the vinification and aging is very slow. It matured in oak barrels for 35 months. This is a ripe and powerful year, with more rusticity and a different texture from the 2016 I tasted next to it. It’s very tasty and supple, with chalky, slightly dusty tannins. This should polish those edges with some more time in bottle.