Celsus

The single-vineyard 2020 Celsus comes from a plot planted in 1920 that contains some 10% Garnacha that complements the old Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) grapes. It has slightly higher alcohol but also more acidity than the 2019 I tasted next to it, so it's a larger wine with similar structure and balance, just one step more in clout and power (it has 15.2% alcohol). It has generous sweet spices, toast and smoke, reflecting the slightly longer élevage of 14 months in 500-liter French oak barrels. It has good balance and a harmonious (but powerful) mouthfeel with abundant tannins. 1,200 bottles produced. It was bottled the 5th of June 2022.

I tasted the 2019s and 2020s, and the 2019 Celsus, the single-vineyard bottling from a plot planted in 1920, showed the concentration, ripeness and power of the warm and dry year. The fruit is dark and ripe, but the wine had a little less alcohol than the 2020. It matured in two 500-liter oak barrels for 12 months. 1,280 bottles were filled in May 2021.