Protos Vendimia Seleccionada 2021
Protos has joined in our anniversary celebrations
By popular request, to continue with Vinoselección’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we bring you Protos Vendimia Seleccionada 2021, a new edition of the custom-designed red that’s become a must-have. What’s more, it comes from an Excellent-rated vintage.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Tempranillo
Type of barrel
American and French oak barrels
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Barrel aging time
6 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Bottling
06/2023
Total acidity (g/l)
4.5
Volatile acidity (g/l)
0.48
Sugar
1.25
pH
3.83
Alcohol content (% vol.)
15.2
General Information
We’re continuing to celebrate Vinoselección’s 50th anniversary with a wine that’s been one of the biggest hits with members: a new edition of Protos Vendimia Seleccionada 2021. A red made exclusively for the Club from a selection of the best bunches of Tempranillo from different plots cultivated at altitudes that vary from 750 to 1100 metres, with vines between 25 and 35 years old.
Bodegas Protos is one of the longest-standing Spanish wineries. Protos, which means ‘first’ in Greek, refers to the original firm founded back in 1927, when a group of grape growers of Ribera del Duero teamed up. The firm now has winemaking facilities in Peñafiel that are equipped with the latest technology, with a spectacular design by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Alonso Balaguer.
The 1400 hectares of vineyards controlled by Bodegas Protos in Ribera del Duero, distributed in a huge mosaic of plots that each average a hectare in size, are home to this red, which has become one of Vinoselección’s members’ favourite wines.
The wine, which comes from a vintage rated Excellent by the regulatory council of the Denominación de Origen Ribera del Duero, was aged in French and American oak barrels for 6 months and demonstrates the vast expanse of vineyards Protos controls. From this enormous stock it chose magnificent vines for this essential red.
Tasting notes
Gorgeous very ripe cherry-red with violet hues in the rim, deeply pigmented.
Intense, complex, concentrated notes of toasted cocoa and coffee sweets, followed by background notes clearly reminiscent of jammy red fruit (cherries and cranberries) and ending with elegant hints of dairy and subtle undertones of smoked wood.
Full-flavoured on the attack with good structure and balance between the fruit and the notes from oak ageing (spices and subtly dairy hints). Elegant, silky mid-palate with high-quality tannins and pleasant tactile sensations and fullness. A perfect acidic bite lends it liveliness. Long, lingering finish with spicy and floral notes.
A great Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero that’s excellent value for money.
Creators' opinion
Protos Vendimia Seleccionada 2021 is the most genuine expression of the Tinto Fino grape variety in Ribera del Duero and a good example of the complexity and typical qualities found in a wine made from grapes grown in the D.O.’s different soils. The vineyards lie at an altitude that varies from 750 to 1100 metres in the best grape-growing areas of Burgos, Valladolid and Soria. We’ve created a very personal wine for our friends at Vinoselección, with an attractive cherry-red colour and interesting nose in which the typical fruity aromas of the variety blend perfectly with those from the oak following several months’ ageing in fine woods, resulting in a wine that’s very balanced and elegant with good complexity and length. We want this wine to reflect our concern with innovating every year, while remaining faithful to the tradition we cherish.
The winery
Protos was (except for Vega Sicilia) the first winery of Ribera del Duero: founded in 1927 as a cooperative after the union of 11 winegrowers from the area, and one of the wineries that promoted the creation of the Denomination of Origin in Ribera del Duero (1982). Today, it is one of the most important wineries in Spain, and its wines are sold in 100 countries across five continents.
Located in Peñafiel, where the old and new wineries are connected by an underground tunnel. The old winery, exclusively dedicated to aging, has 2 kilometers of underground galleries carved into the mountain on which the castle stands, where the wines are aged under optimal natural conditions. The new facilities, with a spectacular design by the prestigious architect Richard Rogers, place Protos at the forefront of the wine and wine tourism scene. In fact, it is the most visited winery in the D.O. Ribera del Duero and was the first nationally to achieve the "mark of excellence" certificate by the prestigious international body Superbrands. Additionally, in 2013, Protos was recognized as "Winery of the Year" by Wine & Spirit magazine, and in 2022, it was named one of the 50 most admired wineries in the world by the prestigious international organization Drinks International.
Bodegas Protos owns 150 hectares of its own vineyards and also sources from its associates to craft its elegant wines. This carefully managed but extensive viticulture potential allows the allocation of each grape bunch to a specific type of wine. Another cornerstone of its philosophy is the constant renewal of its barrel stock (with a maximum of 4 years). Since 2006, Protos has also been present in the D.O. Rueda, where it produces Verdejo whites following the same high-quality standards. More recently, in 2019, it announced its entry into the D.O. Cigales.