2017 Bodegas Lavia Monastrell/Syrah

80% Monastrell, 20% Grenache, all farmed organically from limestone soils. Hand harvested. 2017 was an early and low-yielding year. The grapes fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 10,000-liter oak vats and used 500-liter oak barrels for one year..14.5% alcohol. 

Dark plum in color. Medium-full bodied, with an intense nose of blackberries, red currants and raspberries along with oak notes of clove, vanilla, licorice and dark chocolate. Smooth, silky and rich on the palate.  Have this with some barbecue or a cheeseburger!

Located in the foothills of Murcia in the arid southeast of Spain, Bodegas Lavia’s Monastrell vineyards are 100+ years old and have great potential in a future of climate change in Spain. These vigorous old vines are located strategically in two separate valleys, with two very different microclimates, at an altitude of 800m asl. Winemaker Laura Ramos makes the best use of the highly concentrated Monastrell fruit to craft organic, elegant wines. Laura has reimagined the entire project and, starting with the 2020 vintage release in the USA, two of the wines are delineated by the specific valley in which they are grown (Aceniche and Venta del Pino), while the third, entry level wine is a blend of fruit from both valleys. Harvest, fermentation, and aging of grapes from each plot is completed separately. 

90 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. "The eponymous 2017 Lavia has more Monastrell than in previous vintages, and there's only 20% Syrah in the bottled blend. 2017 was an early and low-yielding year. The grapes fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 10,000-liter oak vats and used 500-liter oak barrels for one year. It's drinkable and Mediterranean, juicy and with fine tannin, serious enough within the more approachable and drinkable profile of the wine. Even in a warm vintage, the altitude of the zone gives the wine a touch of freshness, a characteristic of Bullas. It was bottled in August 2019."