El Canchorral 2018

There was some creaminess and a smoky/toasty note in the nose of the 2018 El Canchorral, what they call their little Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a field blend of Rufete with Calabrés (Garnacha), Aragonés (Tempranillo), Verdejo Negro, Rufete Blanco, Palomino, Moscatel and other grapes (13 perhaps?) planted 85 years ago on degraded pink granite soils. The grapes achieved perfect ripeness and were ultra healthy, so they fermented them in open vats with 100% full clusters without adding anything. The wine matured in used French oak barrels for 10 months. The wine opens up in the glass, giving way to intoxicating aromas of flowers and wild herbs, very elegant and captivating. There is moderate ripeness (12.5% alcohol) and integrated acidity in a wine that is medium-bodied and shows very good balance. Only 800 bottles were filled in the summer of 2019.