# La Celestina Vendimia Seleccionada (2019)

- **Producer:** Bodegas La Celestina
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Tempranillo
- **Region:** Castilla y León, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 15.0%
- **Average price:** €18
- **Vegan:** No
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** plum, blackberry, violet, eucalyptus, blackcurrant, liquorice, chocolate, cloves, vanilla, smoke, cedar

## About this wine

La Celestina Vendimia Seleccionada is crafted by the winemaking team of Dominio de Atauta under the TerraSelecta group. The wine's name is inspired by the iconic central character of the famous 1499 Spanish novel 'Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea' by Fernando de Rojas. Much like the character, who is depicted as wise, mature, complex, and highly seductive, this wine is designed to be deeply romantic and bewitching. It represents a 'coupage of terroirs', blending grapes from high-altitude old vines in Soria with those from the warmer central zone of Burgos, capturing the diverse essence of the Ribera del Duero appellation.

## Interesting facts

- The back label features a quote from Ovid's Ars Amatoria celebrating the beauty of patient aging.
- It blends grapes from 70-year-old vines in high-altitude Soria with 30-year-old vines in Burgos.
- The wine is crafted by the identical enological team behind the prestigious Dominio de Atauta estate.

## Food pairing

This full-bodied Ribera del Duero requires rich, savory dishes with ample protein and fat to soften its powerful, chalky tannins. The high altitude-driven acidity cuts through the richness of roasted meats and earthy mushrooms, while the wine's intense dark fruit and spice notes complement savory, slow-cooked Spanish classics.

## Wine making process

The grapes are harvested entirely by hand with highly selective sorting. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 26–28ºC to preserve the fresh fruit profile, followed by malolactic fermentation in tanks. The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (approximately 25% to 30% new oak), followed by a minimum of 18 months of aging in bottle prior to commercial release, satisfying the regional Reserva requirement of 36 months total aging.