2009 Calvo Casajus - Antiguos Vinedos

The 2009 Antiguos Vinedos comes from four small plots cropped at 3,500 kilogram per hectare, a selection of old vines then raised in new and used oak for 14 months. It has a startlingly fresh bouquet with wild strawberry, raspberry leaf and crushed stone, straight out of the mid-slope of Burgundy (in a warm vintage!) The palate is medium-bodied and very tightly wound – you can feel the tension in this wine. The finish is actually curt and abrupt, but you can sense it unfurling with time and there is a lovely spicy touch on the aftertaste that keeps you coming back. Sublime. Drink now-2020. I was unfamiliar with the wines of Bodegas Calvo Casajus prior to my tasting them in Ribera del Duero – but what a superb set of wines! Here there was plenty of nuance, balance and expression of terroir that set them apart from their peers as they, often imbued with a Burgundy-like cashmere texture and startling purity. Plus they are, for the most part, very reasonably priced. Jose Alberto Calvo Casajus himself was a member of the local co-operative until 1993 as well as serving the vital role as the village baker in Quintana del Pidio. Is there no end to this man’s talents? Importer: Majuelas de Espana – “Casajus Antiguos Vinedos”, “Vendimia Seleccionada” and “Splendore” distributed by Frontier Wine Imports, Dover, NJ; tel. (973) 328-4500