Raul Perez La Penitencia Ribeira Sacra 2015 (750ML)

95 Points, Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The riper and warmer year resulted in a 2015 La Penitencia that was surprisingly fresh but still headier and more aromatic than El Pecado from the same vintage. The grapes were sourced from the Pombeiras vineyard from Guímaro, a vineyard that tends to deliver highly expressive and aromatic wines with heady aromas of violets that often remind me of a Touriga Nacional from Portugal. The palate is juicy with a soft texture and subtle flavors, lifted by the fine minerality and a dry finish. All these wines keep changing in the glass, and they should develop more nuances and further complexity in bottle. 900 bottles were filled in February 2017." 08/17

93 Points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous: "Opaque ruby. Powerful aromas of ripe black/blue fruits, licorice and candied flowers, with hints of black tea and woodsmoke emerging as the wine opens up. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering blackcurrant and bitter cherry flavors that show impressive depth and appealing sweetness. Finishes very long and youthfully chewy, with dusty tannins framing lingering blueberry and cherry-cola qualities. (Drink between 2023-2031)" 03/19

93+ Points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar: "The La Penitencia bottling from Raúl Pérez also hails from a vineyard owned by Guímaro, the Finca Pombeiras, which is planted with vines more that seventy years of age. Señor Pérez ferments this wine with all of the stems and raises the wine is older French casks for a year prior to bottling. The 2015 La Penitencia wafts from the glass in a deep and nascently complex nose of cassis, pomegranate, graphite, superb slate minerality, coffee grounds, cigar smoke, just a whisper of cedar and a touch of Ribeira Sacra botanicals in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and a touch more precise than the El Pecado out of the blocks, with a fine core, excellent delineation, fine-grained tannins and a long, slate-infused and nascently complex finish. This is going to be outstanding! (Drink between 2020-2040)" 03/17, Issue #68