Professionelle Bewertungen
Robert Parker (95)
Like the rest of the 2023s, I also tasted again the 2023 Hontanares. It comes from a centenary northwest-facing vineyard planted with around 80% Tinto Fino, a little bit of Valenciano (Bobal), and a good amount of Pirulés and Albillo Mayor across El Olmar. It's quite a steep place, where the deer are doing some damage. They have two plots in the vineyard, but it's only Tempranillo, with small quantities of white grapes. The grapes were harvested at night and processed in the morning, destemming 60% of them by hand and adding the remaining 40% as whole clusters to the fermentation vessel, a bin. It was transferred to a third-fill Taransaud barrel, where it finished fermenting and matured for 16 months without racking. There's no Garnacha here, and the wine is less perfumed and floral compared with the ones that have it, like San Roque and El Olmar. The garrigue and herbal notes seem to have grown, and it seems to be aging a little faster than I expected. It's from the same slope as La Cabaña but higher up. Hontanares is the name of the valley, and this is some 30 to 40 meters higher. It has a similar profile as La Cabaña, though perhaps La Cabaña has more depth. It has very fine tannins and a silky mouthfeel. It has moderate ripeness, the lowest alcohol of the 2023 reds (12%), a pH of 3.6 and four grams of acidity. Only one barrel filled 295 bottles in January 2025.
James Suckling (96)
A pure and racy nose of bright, chalky wild strawberries, white pepper, raspberries and some lavender and herbs. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, crunchy tannins and a long, appetizing finish. So much drinkability. Drink now or hold.
