Dominio de Es - La Mata 2024 [en primeur]

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Tasted as a barrel sample, the very young 2024 La Mata is a single-vineyard wine from 0.2 hectares of vines registered in 1904, mostly Tinto Fino and 2% Albillo. The destemmed grapes fermented in stainless steel and have been in one new Burgundian French oak barrel since October 31, 2024. At the moment, this has 13.3% alcohol (but, that might change slightly with the élevage), a pH of 4.05 and 4.7 grams of acidity. This is very toasty at the moment, and they will soon lower the oak; it's currently in a new barrel, but as soon as the 2023 is bottled, they will move it to that barrel. This is discreet and shy but has quality and potential and is a little difficult to read at the moment. The tannins are a little grippy. There will be no more than 300 bottles of this. This won't be bottled until at least June 2026; so, it's still very early, and the wine is particularly difficult to read today.

Dominio de ES is the personal project from Bertrand Sourdais from Antídoto and Galia Soriana. He has finally built his own winery and cellar in the village of San Esteban de Gormaz, in a building in the village where he has dug 10 meters down to have natural temperature and humidity and a capacity of 30,000 bottles (he's currently making some 10,000). They should vinify 2025 in this new winery.

I tasted two vintages, 2023 and 2024, both still unbottled. The 2023s were very gentle earlier on, but they developed more electricity and make you salivate more. The 2024s are more tender and more ethereal, but for some reason, the acidity dropped quite a lot during the fermentation and malolactic; they have precipitated more tartaric (they found it in the vats) than ever. Bertrand even says he finds some dilution in the 2024s... But in some wines, I think I will prefer the 2024 (Carravilla and La Diva) and in others the 2023... It's still a little too early for the 2024s; some were difficult to read, and even the 2023s showed too young.