Yllera - Pepe Yllera 2020
Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $18.99
6+ Price: $16.99 / btl
| Producer | Yllera |
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| Country | Spain |
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| Region | Ribera del Duero |
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| Varietal | Tempranillo |
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| Vintage | 2020 |
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| Sku | 18466 |
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| Size | 750ml |
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Jean-Claude Berrouet is one of the foremost winemakers alive today. For over 40 years, he was the winemaker at the famed Chateau Petrus in Pomerol. He was also heavily involved in the creation of Dominus in Napa Valley. Both wines are acknowledged as the pinnacle of winemaking in their respective regions. Since his “retirement”, He has worked alongside his son, Jean-Francois, as a technical consultant for wineries cross the globe.
Wherever he goes, Berrouet brings his clear vision – wines should express their terroir, favoring elegance over extraction. Berrouet has said, "A wine should tell you the story of the place it came from. Innovation and change are important, but there should be limits on techniques that a winemaker can use and still have a wine classified as a Bordeaux. If I'm a conductor playing Mozart, can I add notes to it? Pretentious men do this. As long as I can make a living doing what I do, I will resist the move to a standard taste."
His recent work with Bodegas Yllera has made them a winery to watch! He has started harvesting early, aiming for less ripeness and extraction. (Although at 14% alc. the wine is certainly packed with ripe fruit and structure.) Predominately Tempranillo, there is roughly 10% Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and darker fruit accents.
Aged for 10 months in a combination of used oak barrels and amphorae, the wine possesses plenty of structure, though never tastes oaky. The wine explodes from the glass with aromas of blackberries, black cherries and mulberries. Dark black cherry and plum flavors are perfectly integrated, offering a fleshy, expressive wine with fine, smooth tannins. Nice acidity which makes it very fresh, with a long finish and an aftertaste reminiscent of berries and vanilla.
Wine Advocate: 92 Points
The spicy and peppery 2020 Pepe Yllera was an improvement over the already great 2019 I tasted next to it. It's serious, fresh, juicy, velvety and balanced. They told me 2020 (and 2021) was a vintage when the Cabernet Sauvignon ripened thoroughly. It's medium-bodied, velvety and very tasty, fresh, elegant, serious and young. This tasted like a much more expensive bottle of wine...
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