La Casilla 2018

2018 was a cooler year, and the 2018 La Casilla kept a moderate 12.5% alcohol. It was produced with Bobal from 40- to 60-year-old vines on limestone-rich soils at 800+ meters above sea level. Like most of the wines, it fermented with 100% full clusters and indigenous yeasts in 4,500-liter oak vats and matured in used 600-liter French oak barrels and the same fermentation vats for nine months with lees. It's very fruit-driven with black raspberry aromas and a fresh herbal touch, lavender, thyme and rosemary. Some rains during the harvest delivered a fresher wine reminiscent of 2010 and 2013, a little lighter and with good aging potential. While tasting this wine, Juan Antonio Ponce told me something quite surprising: "At the end of the day, I prefer harvest when it rains during the harvest, as you can have a longer ripening period and the wines have more complexity." This has a lot of finesse for the rustic image the zone has. 12,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2019. - Luis Gutiérrez.