Barbarot 2015

Described by Bárbara Palacios as a "perfect year" for her vineyard, 2015 has produced the best Barbarot yet in my view. Blending Tempranillo with 15% Merlot, this nods towards Bordeaux in style, showing fine-grained oak, filigree tannins and flavours of mint, red cherry and raspberry and a grassy finish. Drink between 2021-28.

In 2015, she found that blending the wines before the élevage was better and decided to do it for the whole volume in future vintages, but it was only partially done for the 2015 Barbarot. She was extremely happy with the ripeness of the two plots of Tempranillo and Merlot that are next to each other. There is some 15% Merlot in the blend, and Bárbara Palacios thinks it adds very good freshness to the final blend. She likes the Merlot to ripen properly to burn off most of the herbal aromas provided by the pyrazines. Fermentation and élevage is quite straightforward, with fermentation in stainless steel followed by malolactic in barrel and 13 months of aging in barrique. This has high ripeness and black fruit rather than red, and there are some aromatic herbs and spices, a hint of graphite and a creamy touch. The palate is medium to full-bodied, and the tannins are quite round but with the chalky and dry texture from the limestone soils, with good freshness for a warm year. It was bottled in April 2017, as it spends two years in bottle before it's released. I look forward to the 2016, which should be fresher. 8,200 bottles produced.

This has a plush, rich and approachable feel with a smooth spread of fine and approachable tannins that carry elegant and delicate on the finish. Drink now.