7 Fuentes El Lance 2019

The starting point of the Suertes del Marqués range is a wine of uninhibited, wild volcanic character and charm, a blend of multiple plots and altitudes with an arresting hard-to-pinpoint element that is somewhere between smokiness and paprika-like spiciness, and striking brightness to its black and red currant fruit. There's something cool-climate Syrah to it, and it's still amazing value.

The 2019 7 Fuentes El Lance, a red blend that changes with the vintage, was a blend of 70% Listán Negro, 20% Castellana Negra and 10% Vijariego Negro from different plots from five vineyards—Habanera, Florida, Pencones, Cruz Santa and Diego—fermented in plastic bins and concrete vats with 20% to 100% full clusters, depending on the variety, with indigenous yeasts and without temperature control. It matured in used 500-liter oak barrels for nine months. It has a medium body and ripeness with 12.5% alcohol. It's very volcanic, stony and tasty, with very fine tannins and tasty flavors. This is not that different from the 7 Fuentes, perhaps with less complexity. 8,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in October 2020.