98 point

Another of the producer’s micro-plots, this one 0.93 hectares, again, planted to old vines in sandy, chalky soils with some limestone, Tempranillo, and Garnacha most of all, the first vintage of 2022 El Velado was in 2014. Peppery and herbal, it has a slate-like refinement to the texture and is more about the earth and gravel than fruit. Aging took place in larger French oak barrels for 15 months. The tannins are long and dusty, adding to the textural complexity of the wine, which shows plenty of potential for aging 25-35 years.

95 point

The single-vineyard 2022 El Velado is the wine from a southeast-facing plot of 0.93 hectares in the village of Lanciego at 600 meters in altitude. The plot has a high proportion of Garnacha, and also Tempranillo and Graciano; perhaps in 2022 it's more Garnacha than ever (more than 40%!) and more Mediterranean. It fermented in an open-top, 3,000-kilo oak vat with indigenous yeasts and matured in barriques and foudres for 14 to 16 months. It has notes of Mediterranean herbs and red berry fruit, a little à la Rayas. 2022 was a very warm and dry year, and the wine achieved 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.61 and 4.3 grams of acidity. It seems to transcend the character of the year.