La Plazuela 2014

We have jumped a few years to get to the 2014 La Plazuela, which is one of my favorite wines from La Mancha (even if it's sold with the VdT Castilla appellation). They did not release 2012 or 2013, as they only release this wine in very good vintages. It's now a blend of Cencibel with 20% Garnacha Tintorera from low-yielding, old vines on limestone soils. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, then it was transferred to amphorae for malolactic. It aged for one year in concrete vats followed by 18 months in French oak barrels. There is a lot less influence from the élevage than in previous vintages—they have increased the volume of the barrels, there is more used oak and they believe the time the wine spends in the old "tinajas" (large earthenware jars), where the wine gets polished, also helps to achieve a wine with less influence from wood. The nose is straight, quite aromatic and ever changing in the glass, developing nuances as time passes and clearly marked by the special Garnacha Tintorera they have (which is also present in the La Madre and the new Ercavio Tempranillo-Garnacha red), with that stony/mineral sensation providing hints of flint stone and silex. There are fine-grained, dusty tannins and good balance, but there is also power. This feels more elegant than previous vintages. 6,000 bottles were filled in April 2017.