Pícaro del Águila 2020

The juicy, velvety and aromatic red 2020 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is fine-boned and quite faithfully represents what they want to express with this cuvée; it's very tasty and has some chalkiness (perhaps through less ripeness than in years like 2018) with 14% alcohol and mellow acidity. The nose reveals some Côte-Rôtie-like notes of smoked meat and violets. 2020 delivered a good crop of healthy grapes that produced the finest wine to date for this bottling. This is superb, elegant and powerful, with everything in place (seems to be the signature of 2020) and perfectly integrated oak. 71,382 bottles and 1,979 magnums produced. It was bottled in September 2021.

Fermented with 99% whole bunches - Jorge Monzón likes to be a little different - this comes from a north-facing slope in La Aguilera and blends Tinto Fino and 5% of various co-planted red and white grapes. Perfumed, youthful and showing a touch of reduction, it's sappy and intense, with white pepper, black cherry and blueberry flavours and just a touch of oak sweetness. 2022-28.