Erosivo 2018

The top wine from Carlos Mazo's impressive new venture in the Rioja Oriental hails from a 0.56-hectare field blend of mostly Graciano with Garnacha and Pasera planted in the early 1950s. Scented, detailed and elegant, with fine tannins, a hint of good reduction, plum and wild strawberry fruit and barely a whisper of oak. 2023-28

There is also a single-vineyard red, the 2018 Erosivo. It's from a small plot planted with an unusual mix of grapes, 70% Tinta Velasco (that confusingly enough is locally called Graciano de Alfaro) and 30% white Calagraño (or Pasera). Here, the ripeness of the fruit is more contained, and the aromas have that Mediterranean twist but there are also violets and red berries. The alcohol is lower and the acidity higher, and the wine comes through as more balanced. This was produced in a very rustic way: foot treading the full bunches in open-top barrels and maturing the wine in a 500-liter oak barrel and glass demijohn. The effect of the oak still comes through a little, but it should be absorbed with some more time in bottle. I found the wine to be very attractive and pleasant. Only 720 bottles were filled in August 2020.