El Escoces Volante El Puno Tinto Old Vine Garnacha 2020
94 POINTS: Tim Atkin MW
93 POINTS: Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate
100% Old Vine Garnacha
“I tasted the 2020 El Puño Garnacha next to the 2021, and the wines feel quite different. 2020 was warmer, and the wine feels riper and wider, a little darker even; time in the glass only accentuated the differences, with the 2020 becoming more open, heady and expressive and the 2021 tighter, austere and more mineral. This has 14.2%, a pH of 3.48 and 6.1 grams of acidity, parameters that denote good freshness, acidity and balance. It has more of a Mediterranean profile, with lots of aromatic herbs. It matured 50% in used barrels, and they try to work with the lees to give it more tastiness.”
- Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate
High altitude, old, concentrated, bush-vine fruit selected from 70-100 year old vines with tiny yields of 1.5kg per vine or around two tonnes per hectare (15hl/ha) are selected from the villages of Acered and Alarba in Aragon situated at 1000 to 1100 metres above sea level with slate and quartzite soils. Hand-picked, fruit was held for a minimum of 48hrs in a cool room to chill fruit to below 4 degrees celsius. Bunches were passed over a selection belt to optimise quality and then crushed into tank and held at 8 degrees celsius to cold soak for up to 10 days. Temperature was then allowed to rise allowing a wild fermentation to commence. Tanks were then plunged gently to obtain gentle extraction. One or two tanks were also allowed an extended maceration after fermentation to add weight and complexity. 40% of wine was then aged in barrel. All old, used French barrels were used with low to medium toast so as not to dominate the wine. Similarly, a selection of larger barrel sizes (500 to 650 litre) was chosen to respect the typicity of the Garnacha grape. The wine was then blended and allowed to marry in subterranean tanks with lees stirring before bottling with only a light filtration and no fining. The fruit was fermented and bottled outside of the DO Calatayud. Pronounced violet, black fruits and spices. Intense and yet delicate, with notes of thyme and other Mediterranean herbs. Palate: balanced, full-bodied with rounded tannins, crisp acidity and a long mineral finish.
ABV: 14%