Michelini i Mufatto El Rapolao 2018

Like the other wines, the 2018 El Rapolao has lower alcohol and better acidity than the 2017. The year was quite wet, reaching almost 1,000 liters, and it was not without challenges, in this case fungal diseases. It was their latest harvest since they arrived in Bierzo in 2015, and the grapes ripened slowly but thoroughly. It fermented together with full clusters and natural yeasts in tinaja. The wine had a shorter élevage—10 months in well-seasoned, neutral 228-liter oak barrels. It shows the subtleness, freshness and elegance of the year. Tasted next to the 2017, this has more depth and is intense but balanced, with fine and rounder tannins. It has the character of the place, with the style of Michelini and Mufatto. It was also interesting to taste all the different bottlings of El Rapolao 2018, which I did blind... It was bottled at the same time as the 2017, in October 2019. 900 bottles produced.