Valtosca 2017

The only Syrah bottling, the 2017 Valtosca has to be the best Syrah I’ve ever tasted from Casa Castillo. This perfect Mediterranean vintage was the first year when the wine was aged exclusively in 5,000-liter foudre (it used to have barriques and even some American oak), trying to preserve the typicity of the variety on limestone soils. It has a more floral and smoky bacon-scented nose and a nicely textured palate with fine chalky tannins. There is no trace of oak here, and like most of the wines, this is the best version since they started producing it in 2001. Its 15% alcohol goes unnoticed. 26,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2018. - Luis Gutiérrez.