91+ |
View from the Cellar |
As I mentioned last year, the Monastrell “Barrica 5 Meses” from Porta Regia is essentially the same wine as the above, except that it is aged for five months in “one wine” casks, whereas the Old Vines bottling spends its entire elevage in stainless steel tanks. The 2016 Barrica 5 Meses is another excellent wine, showing just a bit more precision on both the nose and palate from its short stay in barrels than the regular Old Vine bottling. The nose offers up a fine blend of black cherries, roasted meats, chicory, beautiful, salty soil tones, wild fennel, a touch of oak and a topnote of bonfires. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, excellent soil signature, suave tannins and impressive length and grip on the very well-balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. 2018-2030+.
Issue #75 – May/June 2018 |
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90 |
Vinous Media |
Lurid ruby. Smoke- and spice-accented dark berry and licorice aromas are accented by hints of vanilla and cracked pepper. Smooth and broad on the palate, offering sweet cherry and cassis flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Shows building sweetness and a subtle floral quality on the gently tannic finish, which leaves a repeating vanilla note behind. (aged for five months in a 70/30 combination of French and American oak barrels, some new and some used)
Drink 2021-2026
Mediterranean Spain: Diversity and Consistency, April 25, 2019 |
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