2016 Els Escurcons
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Tasting notes
100% Grenache, aged in clay amphorae. Tasted blind. This has a strong meaty character that suggests brett not just tertiary flavours. If you can get past that, still very young in terms of the tannins, which are thick and chewy, with great depth and highly structured, dark and savoury. But I could not give this a higher score because it’s too bretty for me. Wild and crazy, takes no prisoners. I have much preferred other vintages, especially 2013, 2014 and 2015. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Shimmering ruby. Smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of red and blue fruit liqueur, incense, spicecake and candied flowers show impressive energy and clarity. Sweet, seamless and lively in the mouth, offering concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and lavender pastille flavors that fan out steadily and turn spicier with air. Powerful and precise, carrying no excess fat . Velvety tannins frame an extremely long, incisive finish that echoes the floral and spice notes.
There is a strong and acute note of curry on the nose of the 2016 Els Escurçons, which aged exclusively in glass demijohns. This is a new era after the vineyard burned down in 2015. It's the first vintage produced after the fire, when the forest had disappeared, and the wine feels like it's something different. You change the context where the vineyard is, and you change the wine. This used to be the lightest and gentlest, and this matured in a reductive environment trying to give it energy. It's pure Garnacha that fermented with full clusters. 2,800 bottles produced.