I also tasted the 2021 Real de Asúa, which was already in bottle. 2021 was cooler, and the wine has a little less alcohol than the 2020 I tasted next to it. It comes from the same vines and the process was similar, but in this case, they didn't use any new barrels in the aging, which took place in 100% second-use barriques. This was very recently bottled and felt a little dizzy, with a slightly blurry nose, somehow creamy and with a more oxidative touch and a more solid palate, a little more exuberant and with abundant tannins that need time to get polished and/or powerful food. I might be getting it wrong, because the harvest was better than 2020. But today, the wine is still a bit of a question mark. Time will tell... 14,493 bottled produced. It was bottled in January 2024.
96 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Feb 2024)
Such an exuberant, floral nose with lots of berries, plums, dark cherries, ink and touches of dark minerals, mussels and spices. Quite pristine and naked, with a medium to full body and a mouthful of powerful, sensuous tannins. Great tension. A super-confident, single-vineyard wine without much adornment. Drink or hold.
96 points, James Suckling (Aug 2024)
Charred sandalwood, taut fruit, eucalyptus and mint, with waves of cloves and rose petals. As it opens you suddenly get studded by anis, fennel, not overly marked by the oak, with a savoury edge that makes for a mouthwatering finish. 50% new oak for ageing, 225l barrels from Troncais, 3.63ph. Generous and accessible, this will age well but no need to wait more than a year or two to begin enjoying. The 2021 vintage saw an extended growing season in Rioja because of a great late September and October weather.
96 points, Jane Anson (Aug 2024)
Seductive nose, detailed and perfumed, with a complex layering of wet stone freshness, subtle florality and herbal nuance. Crushed rose petals, minty tapenade, bramble and graphite mingle effortlessly. The palate echoes this filigreed arrangement , supported by a detailed scaffold of mineral tannins. Pure, intense flavours of mulberry, blackberry, black fig and black olive at the core, lined by hay, chamomile and gentle flintiness. Very persistent with a long tail of balsamic freshness.
96 points, Ines Salpico, Decanter (May 2024)
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