Arizcuren Barranco del Prado 2018

Javier Arizcuren didn't make his top wine in 2017 or 2016, so it's good to see it return in 2018. Sourced from an amazing 120-year-old parcel of 0.32 hectares, co-planted with Garnacha and 3% Tinta Velasco and Calagraño, all of it aged in old wood, this is a dense, concentrated, feral wine with floral, wild herb intensity, notes of violet and incense and thefreshness of grapes grown at 800 metres on the Mo te Yerga. 2023-30.

The 2018 Barranco del Prado has an extra degree of freshness when compared with the 2015 I tasted before. This was produced with Garnacha from an ancient, ungrafted vineyard at 750 meters in altitude, planted mostly with Garnacha and some other varieties, such as 1% of Miguel del Arco, an old, traditional red variety, and even some white grapes. In a year like 2018 when the grapes ripened thoroughly, this reached 15.5% alcohol and still feels quite balanced, and it has retained very high acidity and a healthy pH. The vines are on sandy soil, which makes them resistant to phylloxera and tends to deliver wines with finesse. The destemmed grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in well-seasoned, neutral French oak barrels for 18 months. There are 678 bottles and 64 magnums that were filled in March 2020.

A fresh, fruity red with cherry and raspberry character. Medium to firm tannins, creamy texture and a clean finish. Lively and focused. Pure is the word to describe it. Drink or hold.