Garnacha de la Madre 2016

Produced with Garnacha Tintorera or Alicante Bouschet grapes and hence with a slightly misleading name, the 2016 La Garnacha de la Madre is produced with grapes from a 30-year-old vineyard in a cooler and less sunny part of their estate. It fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel vats, followed by malolactic in concrete and then aging in concrete vats for 12 months. There is a clear black olive touch I had not noticed in previous vintages, but they tell me it's a recurring aroma in this wine. There are other aromas of plums and an earthy touch. The absence of oak makes it fruit-driven and quite pure, juicy with the chalky tannins. This is characterful and different and not really easy to identify the variety. Elegant rusticity. 4,000 bottles were filled in January 2018.