This is Alejandro Fernández’s project in La Mancha, his last one according to the website. A lot of bulk wine comes from La Mancha, which is odd as it can be a very difficult region to make wine in. Droughts and generally extreme weather make it a challenge, so I wasn’t surprised when I read that they use irrigation in these vineyards. That’s nothing new here in Australia, but it is almost unheard of to use drip irrigation in Spain. For a start there is not usually enough ground water to use or enough land to store it. Many DOs actually ban the use of irrigation too.
Regardless, this is a pretty good wine. It does have that abundance of tannins that characterises the wines of 2004. I think in this case they could have turned down the oak dial a little, as there are some hard wood tannins mixed in with the soft and fleshy fruit tannins. 18 months in new American oak is the treatment here, the fruit stands up it well enough. The price seems to have gone up a bit since the 2002 as well…
Lots of woody notes on the nose: nutmeg, vanilla, coco and cedary oak over the top of some ripe blackcurrant, mulberry and plum. A bit of anise for interest. The tannins start of fleshy and fine, but build to be a bit raspy as the wine gets more air. There is some good acid here and a touch of earthy minerals. The palate shows a healthy bunch of fruit: plum, mulberry and blackcurrant with some wild herbs and hot cinnamon. A couple of years in the cellar should see those tannins soften a bit, but the scales will always tip towards the tanninic end of the scale. 89 Pts.
Source: Bibendum Wine Co. Price: $49 Closure: Conventional Cork
Web: www.elvinculo.com
Other vintages: 2002
This got an 89 from Wine Spectator. Have you joined The 89 Project? Will you? (email me at the email there). Can you cross-post this there?
I have noticed Alejandro has a heavy hand with oak, however out of all of his portfolio so far I have found the Tinto Pesquera Reserva 2004 to be the most integrated.
Dave I just tried El Nido ‘Clio’ and was curious what you think of the wine or any of the Ringland wines from Spain?
I think he does favour oak, but the fruit can generally handle it. I like to put all of his gear in the cellar for a couple of years before poping the cork, the crianza is great after about 5 years I think.
I haven’t had a bottle of the Cilo, but I have tried the Alto Moncayo wines. They are very serious wines, very modern but I don’t think they deserving of the attention they get from critics.
Did you buy the Cilo here?
Anada now stocks both El Nido and El Nido Clio and Alto Moncayo…
As for the El Nido Clio it was a great big fun wine but didn’t have the dimensions of say the Trapio. There is absolutely no sense of place with this wine either. And I am therefore in the same boat as you in regards to the critics ratings. Jay Miller gives the El Nido Clio 95 points and El Nido 98 points which are grossly over exagerations of what they really are.
Any idea who the importer is? Last time I saw the wines they were still looking for a home…
Have you had a look at the Enrique Mendoza ‘Estrecho’? To me, this is the best monastrell wine around, and it has a clear sense of place.
Thanks for the tip I will look into that wine.
I found the Ringland wines via Craggy Range Wine Importers however they don’t advertise the wines in their portfolio due to their limited quantity, I had to ask.