Bastarda - 2017
Fedellos do Couto
- Region
- Spain 禄 Vino de Mesa
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fedellos do Couto
- Vintage
- 2017
- Grapes
- Bastardo
- Alcohol
- 12.5
- Sugar
- 1
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
Grapes for this wine come from 20-70 years old vines in granite, schist soils at 350-650m elevation. Grapes are hand-harvested, left in the whole cluster and fermented using natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. 40-60 day maceration and then aged for 7 months in 300-500L oak barrels.
Ratings
Unfortunately, this is my last bottle of Bastarda 2017. At least, I opened it in good company. Beautiful and sophisticated bouquet: underbrush, red flowers, barberry, sweet cherry, strawberry jam and blood. Dry, medium-bodied, and fresh with round tannin. Perfectly balanced, the aftertaste is long and flavourful. Beautiful Trousseau.
Lovely as ever. Pale garnet colour. Beautiful and sophisticated bouquet: barberry, cranberry, raspberry, blood, strawberry jam, red flowers and earth. It already shows some age but still has the energy to last more years. Dry, medium-bodied, fresh with round tannin. Well balanced, the aftertaste is long and flavourful. Easy to confuse with some cold climate Pinot Noir.
Tasted as part of Galicia 葯i Tondonia wine tasting event organized by Vasyl Kalinichenko in Chaika, Kyiv.
I definitely should drink it blindly, because every time I see Fedellos do Couto, my heart fills with joy and it affects my perception. Delicate and light Bastardo (Trousseau) with some complexity. Wild strawberry, jam and forest floor. Fresh, long delicious aftertaste. Sexy style.
I've got a lovely present. Bastardo (Trousseau Noir?) from Galicia. Pale garnet colour. Wet forest floor, wild strawberry stew, cherry with animal touch. Sophisticated and elegant. Medium-light body, perfectly balanced. Beautiful and self-sustained wine.
Unexpected gem. Light pomegranate colour. Rich aroma of wild strawberry stew, bell pepper and wet forest floor. Highly attractive, elegant and sophisticated wine. Medium-light body, perfectly balanced. Love it.
Fedellos do Couto
There are few viticultural regions as dramatic, wild, and diverse as Ribeira Sacra. Being a boundary between the cool, rainy Atlantic coast and Spain's hot, dry interior, Ribeira Sacra enjoys the best and the worst of the two domains. The main threats to viticulture are the storms that blow in from the Atlantic, bringing plenty of rain and wind; and morning fogs. A paradise for fungus. And yet people grow vines and make wines here. Some locals even practice organic and biodynamic farming. And that's truly heroic.
Ribeira Sacra is currently one of the most talked-about places in the wine world, not only for its scenery but for affordable, refreshing, and complex wines made from indigenous varieties like Menc铆a (a sleeker expression than in Bierzo), Mourant贸n, Garnacha Tintorera (widely planted after phylloxera), Ca帽o, Bastardo (a.k.a. Trousseau), Grao Negro, Sous贸n, Godello, Do帽a Blanca, Palomino, and other grapes. Not the most popular and known bunch, isn't it?
Luis Taboada comes from an old family that owned Pazo do Couto, an ancient manor dating to the 12th century that produced a wide array of agricultural products. Recognizing the value of his ancient, north- and east-facing vineyards, he teamed up with viticulturist Pablo Soldavini, a proponent of organic farming and winemakers Curro Bare帽o and Jes煤s Olivares to found Fedellos do Couto in 2011. According to PanLex, Fedellos roughly translates as 'brats'. So the name of the winery is - Brats from Couto (estate).
Curro Bare帽o and Jes煤s Olivares are also known for Ca' di Mat and Peixes. After parting (when?) their ways with Luis Taboada leaving DO Ribeira Sacra (deemed atypical!), they decided to merge Fedellos do Couto with Peixes to become a single project - Fedellos.