I decided to include the note here of the 2018 Peña Caballera that I tasted in November 2020 for completeness and context, as I tasted the 2019 and 2020. It came from a slow-ripening, cooler and wetter year that delivered very juicy wines with structure, tension, complexity and depth. This comes from a 1.5-hectare plot in the "paraje" that gives the wine its name, planted with 50- to 70-year-old vines on a north-facing slope at 850 meters in altitude on sandy granite soils that are organically farmed. The whole clusters fermented in a 3,300-liter oak vat with indigenous yeasts. After pressing, the wine matured in a 1,500-liter oak foudre, followed by five months in concrete before it was bottled. This is incredibly floral and stony at the same time. It's aromatic but has a certain austerity and seriousness. The austerity is more noticeable on the palate, with very fine and chalky tannins, a little more backward than the 2016 at the time. I believe this has huge aging potential. It has structure but feels ethereal. 1,993 bottles and 18 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2020.
96+ points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Nov 2021)
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