Parker über:
Hontanares
-- Parker: The 2023 Hontanares comes from a centenary northwest-facing vineyard planted with around 80% Tinto Fino and the rest Valenciano (Bobal), Pirulés and Albillo Mayor. The grapes were harvested at night and processed in the morning, destemming 60% of them by hand and adding the remaining 40% as whole clusters to the fermentation vessel, a bin. It was transferred to a third-fill Taransaud barrel, where it finished fermenting and matured for 16 months without racking. There's almost no Garnacha here, and the wine is less perfumed and floral compared to El Olmar; it has an herbal lift when it opens up. This is nuanced and elegant. It's from the same slope as La Cabaña but higher up; Hontanares is the name of the valley, and this is some 30 to 40 meters higher. It has very fine tannins and a silky mouthfeel. It needs time to open up. It has moderate ripeness, the lowest alcohol of the 2023 reds (12% alcohol), a pH of 3.6 and four grams of acidity. Only one barrel filled 295 bottles in January 2025.
