Brega 2014

"There is a new top-of-the-range red Garnacha, the 2014 Brega, produced with grapes from extremely old vines. It started fermenting in 2,500-liter stainless-steel vats and finished in 500- and 600-liter oak barrels (40% of them new), where the wine matured for 20 months plus a further eight months in neural, well-seasoned 600-liter barrels. 1,000 meters altitude on slate soils. This has a whopping 16.1% alcohol! It's heady, ripe and generously oaked, very smoky and a little meaty, with a slightly international profile as the ripeness and élevage made it a bit mainstream. The palate is full-bodied with abundant, dusty tannins and a dry, warm finish where the oak is still very noticeable, as is the alcohol. Give it more time in bottle. Very good in its oaky, end-of-the-1990s style. For fans of oaky reds. 6,240 bottles were filled in April 2017".