Dos Dedos de Frente 2014

I also sampled the 2014 Dos Dedos de Frente, a single-vineyard Syrah from Calatayud, a plot planted at some 920 meters altitude, co-fermented with some 5% Viognier. This is still very young and needs more time in bottle. I tasted if just before bottling and just bottled after some 14 months in used 225- and 300-liter oak barrels that still lent spicy and smoky aromas to the wine. Ripe, heady and concentrated, this is a powerful Syrah with a Rhône character, mixing notes of graphite, earth and cedar wood with violets, wild berries and Mediterranean herbs with a touch of black olive and a meatiness. The palate is full-bodied with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a long finish. It ends with dusty minerality. This should improve with time in bottle and has the stuffing and balance to be long-lived. 4,000 bottles produced in May 2017