It's always interesting to compare two vintages of the same wine, as I did with the 2017 El Esquilón, which was tasted next to the 2016, because you see the vintage differences quite clearly. 2017 was the earliest harvest in recent times, and the wines are juicier and more approachable than those from 2016. It matured in used 500-liter oak barrels for 14 months. There is a little more ripeness here compared with the 2016 I tasted next to it. I also found a little more tannin here, which perhaps will be good for the overall balance. 4,000 bottles were filled in December 2018.
93 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Apr 2019)
El Esquilón tops out at 1,800 feet, a parcel that’s mostly 80-year-old listán negro vines, with some tintilla planted 20 years ago on clay over volcanic rock. All about structure at the moment, this wine has powerful undertones of fruit without tasting fruity, the tannins driving the wine’s intensity without any aggression. As those tannins relent, high notes of red fruit emerge, the wine needing several years of bottle age for the rock-hard structure to mellow.
92 points, Wine & Spirits (Jun 2021)
Top Quality Store
