Protos Verdejo
WHY WE LOVE IT
- While we usually associate Protos with full-throttle red wines from Ribera del Duero, the appellation of Rueda is just next door and the winery has built quite a following for this intense example of Verdejo.
- Tropical, rich, Verdejo with plenty of detail on the back end.
Varietal Composition: 100% Verdejo
Elaboration: Night harvest. Skin contact maceration of 4/5 hours at 50º F. Alcoholic fermentation in temperature controlled vats at 57º F. On fine lees for 3 months.
Tasting Notes: Straw color, bright and clean. Powerful, fruity with green apple, citrus and tropical fruits, white blossoms, fragrant herbs and fennel hints. Very fresh, with good acidity, flavorful, fruity, well balance, complex, with a long finish.
PRESS
2018 – 90 Wine Spectator | 90 Guía Peñin
2019 – 91 James Suckling
2020 – 91 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The name Protos comes from the Greek work for “first.” While Protos has several peers in the upper echelons of cult Ribera del Duero, it is difficult to argue whether or not Protos is the region’s most iconic winery – “Ribera del Duero” was literally the winery’s brand name until 1982, when Protos gifted the name to the rest of the region, allowing for the creation of the now revered Ribera del Duero appellation. The winery sits at the base of the symbolic Penafiel castle that identifies the region.
For the visitor Protos offers as dynamic an experience as they come – Walk in one direction and you can snake through miles and miles of underground cellars, walk in another and you are in the stunning new winery space designed by famed architect Richard Rogers.