2017 Espectacle del Montsant

2017 was a warm and dry vintage, and the 2017 Espectacle del Montsant is a ripe and heady Garnacha at 15.5% alcohol from the spectacular vineyard in the village of La Figuera at 600 meters in altitude. The grapes are kept in cool storage for 24 hours before being sorted and destemmed to be fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in a 4,000-liter French oak vat for some 15 months. This is ripe and heady à la Châteauneuf, spirity, open and aromatic, with notes of soy sauce and decayed violets, a little decadent. Despite having less alcohol than the 2018, the aromatic and gustative profile is different, and the balance is at a different point. It has a richness on the palate that I like very much, with deep flavors and a long, Mediterranean finish full of aromatic herbs. 5,000 bottles produced.