Macán Clásico 2019

The second wine in the Bordeaux sense is the 2019 Macán Clásico, a more concentrated and powerful wine cropped from a warmer and drier year that was saved by the 80 liters of rain in the first half of September. It fermented in stainless steel with 10% of their own yeasts, and the élevage was 22% in stainless steel and the rest in new and used oak barrels, mostly French but with around 5% of them American, and lasted 12 months. It has a moderate 14% alcohol, mellow acidity and good freshness and balance. 2019 was a dry and warm year when they did a soft vinification to avoid harsh tannins. The nose is ripe without excess, and the oak is neatly integrated. The palate is juicy and round, with fine tannins and a velvety texture. 77,316 bottles, 1,050 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in August 2021.

Clásico uses grapes from at least five villages across the Sonsierra - Ábalos, Elvillar, Labastida, Navaridas and San Vicente - and is increasingly about freshness and finesse. This is a stylish pure Tempranillo with scented 50% new wood, detailed tannins, violet and bramble notes and a chalky finish. 2025-32

Rich, but refined and layered nose that unwinds dark plums, dried strawberries, olives, cocoa beans and some savory Mediterranean spices. Medium-to full-bodied palate, framed by an abundance of powerful, fine-grained tannins that give a grippy texture. Needs time. Drink after 2024.

A rainy year in Rioja and an abundant harvest. Tempranillo cherry is overlaid with fine cedar and spice, plus firm tannin, with crispness that comes bursting through. Elegant and very long, with a lighter style. With Macán Classico, winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga is working towards less extraction and in 2017 began to work with gentler pressing. Aged for 12 months in barrique, 50% new (40% French and 10% American), and 50% one year old. Drinking Window 2021-2026.