The Cari?ena for the 2019 Venus la Universal suffered from a heat wave of extreme temperatures (up to 46 degrees Celsius) and ripening took a long time; the wine has ripeness and a bit of heat, but the wine kept very good acidity. The long élevage of 30 months has calmed the wine down a bit, but it might require a little more time. It shows in the palate some of the sweetness of Garnacha (which represents some 40% of the blend) and the tension of Cari?ena. The tannins might need a little more time in bottle. There are 14,500 bottles of this wine. It was bottled in May 2022.

The eponymous red 2018 Venus la Universal is a blend of old-vine Cari?ena and Garnacha from six plots between the villages of Falset and Mar?à on deep clay and limestone soils that have good humidity and allow for a long and slow ripening of the grapes, even more so in the cooler and wet 2018. 2018 wines show tension and are a bit tight, with very good complexity. In 2018 they started to do one year of foudre (after fermenting in oak vat) and one year in concrete, completing an élevage of 30 months. This is very relaxed, balanced, elegant and long, with only 13% alcohol. This is the wine that has changed the most; they harvested early to preserve the freshness after the extremely warm and ripe 2017. 13,000 bottles were filled in May 2021.

The eponymous red 2017 Venus la Universal is a blend of old-vine Cari?ena and Garnacha from six plots between the villages of Falset and Mar?à on deep clay and limestone soils that have good humidity and allow for a long and slow ripening of the grapes, with some grapes from their own La Universal vineyard on granite soils for the last time, as the vines were pulled up the winter after the 2017 harvest. The grapes fermented together with some stems, indigenous yeasts and are foot trodden. The wine matured in 4,500-liter oak vats for six months and a further 12 months in 2,500-liter oak foudres. This is a classical Mediterranean red with tons of aromatic herbs, thyme, rosemary, a touch of tree bark and some earthy rusticity. It has very tasty and ripe flavors—rich and tasty. The tannins are fine-grained and add to the textured palate. This year, it's 15% alcohol, something unusual for Cari?ena. 13,914 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in April 2019.

The tight and sharp 2016 Venus la Universal is very representative of the vintage, with citrus freshness. I can see some similarities with 2013 here, an austere red blend that is going to have a long life in bottle. This is about 60% Cari?ena and 40% Garnacha (which contributed to the blend in 2016 and 2017 but not in 2018), including some Garnacha from granite soils, when the grapes for this blend normally come from limestone. So, the granite might have contributed to the electric sensation on the palate. This fermented in large oak foudres (4,500 liters) and aged in slightly smaller ones (2,500 liters). They abandoned the barriques in 2008/2009, and the wine really changed. 15,000 bottles produced.

Cherry, licorice, underbrush and loamy earth notes mingle in this bright red. Light, firm tannins and racy acidity give a lively structure. Expressive, this is a bit savage. Decant. Carignan, Syrah and Grenache. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases made, 30 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Montsant Select to Add