El Mondongo 2018

2018 > 93 puntos

The red 2018 El Mondongo is a co-fermentation of the plots that give more garrigue notes to the wine, mostly old-vine Garnacha with 5% other grapes (Provechón/Bobal, Moristel, Garnacha Blanca, Miguel de Arco) from four plots in the village of Villarroya de la Sierra. It fermented with 20% full clusters in open-top stainless steel vats and matured for 15 months in a mixture of concrete and Flextank eggs. It has a Mediterranean character, with balsamic herbal notes (almost eucalyptus), with a touch of licorice, developing more spice aromas as the wine sat in the glass, nutmeg and cola nut. It has a forward personality, generous, expressive, ripe but balanced with some savoriness from the stems. The tannins have the chalky texture and a salty twist. 4,960 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2020. - Issue 248 End of April 2020, The Wine Advocate -