Calvario

The single-vineyard 2011 Calvario contains the mix of grapes found in the field, mostly Tempranillo with some 8% Garnacha and 2% Graciano. The head-pruned vines were planted in 1945 on clay soils with abundant gravels and stones rich in iron. The uncrushed grapes fermented in a French oak vat with indigenous yeasts and the wine matured in new French oak barriques for 18 months, during which time it was racked every six months. There are lots of smoky, dark, black aromas that are faintly animal (Miguel Angel de Gregorio think it's the character of the Darnajou barrels) that have an added touch of licorice, fountain pen ink and tempera paint. The palate is medium-bodied, with less acidity than other vintages, and is approachable with abundant but fine-grained, slightly dusty tannins that end dry. I think it needs a couple of years in bottle to polish and integrate the tannins. It was put into 8,000 bottles in June 2013.