Ausàs
The Wine
Ausàs Ribera del Duero Interpretación 2020
Interpretación has been and will remain 100% Tempranillo (or Tinto Fino, as it is known in Ribera) sourced from some of Xavier Ausàs’s favourite villages in the region. Moradillo de Roa—Ausàs’s highest source at 950 metres—brings power, freshness and structure, while the white blanqueros soils of Roa de Duero provide “a chalky sensation in the mouth and minerality”, says Xavier. Gumiel del Mercado, with its clay soils, delivers fruit generosity and acidity, and the stony terroir of Nava de Roa at 700 metres brings elegance and blue flowers. Xavier purchased this last site in 2020, and it now makes up 40% of the blend.
While much of Ribera is still bewitched by new barrels, Ausàs is notable for its refined use of oak. The grapes are given a cold soak before fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and concrete vats. The wine ages for 14 months in French oak (just 30% new) in two sizes: half in 225-litre casks and half in 500-litre demi-muids. The wines are sensitively vinified by parcel, and blending takes place just before bottling (unfiltered).
Other Recent Releases
-
BannockburnThe 2024 wines mark a golden milestone in Bannockburn’s history. Stuart Hooper, a Geelo...The 2024 wines mark a golden milestone in Bannockburn’s history. Stuart Hooper, a Geelong businessman, demonstrated impressive vision 50 years prio... -
François ChidaineWere the vineyards of the central Loire to be drawn up along Burgundian lines, and they...Were the vineyards of the central Loire to be drawn up along Burgundian lines, and they might yet be, François Chidaine would be one of the first i... -
Cellier Saint BenoitLuis Gutiérrez has got it right. Only in his late 20s, Benjamin Benoit is already a ris...Luis Gutiérrez has got it right. Only in his late 20s, Benjamin Benoit is already a rising star of the Jura. Born into a family of Pupillin winegro... -
Jo LandronWe try never to get too carried away at Bibendum, but a bottle of Jo Landron’s single-v...We try never to get too carried away at Bibendum, but a bottle of Jo Landron’s single-vineyard 2021 Les Houx—a refreshing curveball of white peach ... -
Corzano e PaternoIt’s always fun visiting the cultivated crew at Corzano e Paterno. After working and st...It’s always fun visiting the cultivated crew at Corzano e Paterno. After working and studying abroad with David Croix in Burgundy and Mac Forbes in... -
Larmandier-Bernier“We’re in a new period for Champagne,” Vouette et Sourbée’s Bertrand Gautherot said sev...“We’re in a new period for Champagne,” Vouette et Sourbée’s Bertrand Gautherot said several years ago. “Before, it was all about image; now, it is ... -
Cantina D’ArcyIt’s not always the case that hype and rarity equate to quality, yet that’s certainly t...It’s not always the case that hype and rarity equate to quality, yet that’s certainly the case with Tom Myers’ tiny Piemonte start-up. It was alway...
