Malpaso

The 2023 Malpaso is a fresh Syrah that is easy to drink. It comes from from trellised 23- to 26-year-old vines on sandy soils, and the grapes fermented with full clusters in open vats and were foot trodden. It has integrated oak after spending 11 to 12 months in 500- and 600-liter barrels. It's creamy, balsamic and aromatic with notes of thyme and rosemary, wild berry fruit, something leafy and a smoky touch. It has 14% alcohol and 5.5 grams of acidity and is round and juicy, with soft tannins. 17,800 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2024.

The 2021 Malpaso Syrah was produced with grapes from 22- and 25-year-old trellised vines on sandy soils in Méntrida. It fermented in open-top 1,500- and 5,000-liter oak vats with stems and foot treading, and it matured in 500-, 600- and 2,000-liter French oak barrels for one year. It has an intense nose of olives, balsam, aromatic herbs, bacon fat and a smoky twist. It's medium to full-bodied with a juicy texture and fine-grained tannins. It shows the freshness of the year, following the path of the 2018. 21,750 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2022.

Pure Syrah from vines in Méntrida, the 2017 Malpaso fermented with full clusters in open 1,500- and 5,000-liter oak vats and matured in barrels of different sizes for around one year. It has an explosive nose with notes of black olives, smoked bacon, violets and an herbal twist. It doesn't show the heat of the vintage and instead comes through as fresh, expressive and vibrant; it's medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and is very easy to drink. It seems like the way they work—picking the grapes early to avoid too much ripeness, fermenting with stems in a non-extractive way and aging the wines in larger barrels to avoid notes of wood—works well with the variety. 21,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2018.

Tasted blind. The wine displays a generous oak charge and shows mint, black pepper, smoke and toast. It is consistent and rounded with superbly ripe black fruit. Appropriate intensity and really tightly textured, still to mellow. It has a leathery touch that I did not detect in previous vintages. It displays lots of black fruits, a meaty character and black olives at the back palate. It is a remarkable vintage, but more power than in previous years.