2012 La Poza de Ballesteros
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Tasting notes
Inky ruby. Explosive cherry compote, cassis, licorice and floral oil scents are complemented by of spicecake and cola. Sweet, concentrated and broad on the palate, offering intense dark berry liqueur and violet pastille flavors enlivened by a peppery, spicy element and a jolt of smoky minerals. Combines richness and vivacity smoothly and finishes sappy and extremely long, with repeating spiciness and smooth, slow-building tannins.
Critic scores
Average Score
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
The 2012 La Poza de Ballesteros comes from a plot opposite Valdeginés where the soils are a little deeper and are quite similar to Valdeginés. However, the wines are very different, and the main difference here is the exposition. This wine has a different style of maturity, more Mediterranean, mixing aromas of plums and aromatic herbs and a voluptuous palate. It is a ripe and showy wine with good complexity and depth, notes of black tea, tobacco, balsamic, and all of it well married with those ripe plums. Within its ripeness and forward character it remains quite balanced; you won't find any excess in the bottle. Again it shows the harmony I see in all the 2012s. Again, this is approachable from now, juicy, ripe and hedonistic. 6,000 bottles produced.
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.