"Lurid magenta. Expansive blackberry, violet pastille, incense, vanilla and smoky mineral aromas are complemented by a suave spicecake nuance. Palate-staining black and blue fruit liqueur, vanilla and peppery spice flavors show superb depth and focus, and a hint of smokiness builds in the glass. Alluringly sweet and seamless on the strikingly long, floral-driven finish, which is shaped by gentle, slow-building tannins."
94
POINTS
"I also tasted the 2014 Aquilón, from a year with slightly lower acidity, a very dark and concentrated red from old vine, head-pruned Garnacha fermented with dry yeasts in small tanks and matured in new oak barrels, most of them made with French oak with some 20% of them American. This is your prototype of dark and concentrated, heady and generously oaked Garnacha. It is closer to a wine from Priorat than from Navarra or Gredos, for fans of the style, but remarkably good within that profile. As I commented about the other 2014 and the 2013s, I found the oak to be better integrated than in previous years, despite all the barrels being new, and the wine is in good balance. A powerful, XXL Garnacha. 4,380 bottles were filled in September 2016."
92
POINTS
"This plush, bold red, in the modern style, shows ripe plum and blackberry flavors framed by cocoa and espresso notes, with light, firm tannins and sweet-tart acidity focusing the generous texture. Drink now through 2024. 125 cases made."
91
POINTS
"Alto Moncayo's mega Garnacha is this smoky, roasted smelling monster. Aromas of plum and currant are straight from the smoker, while this feels full and massive but tempered by acidity. Resiny oak flavors of clove and campfire are stronger than the wine's plum and berry notes, while this tastes savory and extremely woody on the finish. Drink through 2022."
89
POINTS
"A super-rich red with great fleshy opulence and a hint of sweetness. A lot of ambition went into crafting this, and the wine only tastes slightly of its 16% alcohol as a result. But when should you drink it?"