2015 Les Tosses

I loved the 2015 Les Tosses, one of the finest expressions of Carinyena out there. Coming from a single parcel of 90-year-old head-pruned vines and fermented with no destemmed, it offers a huge bouquet of plums, scorched earth, wood smoke, and graphite. This carries to a full-bodied, concentrated, multi-dimensional red that has ultra-fine tannin, impeccable balance, and a purity of fruit and elegance that’s hard to believe. This is Carinyena at its most seamless and pure. It’s a world-class wine to drink over the coming decade, although I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see it keep even longer.

Perhaps one of the greatest cariñena in the world with blackberry, blue slate, graphite and tar character that follow through to a full body. Tight and refined tannins with a focused and intense finish. Condensed and compacted. Drink or hold.

I often find more similarities between Les Tosses and Dits del Terra than with the Arbossar. However, this time I found common characteristics between the 2015 Les Tosses and the Arbossar from the same year. Both show graphite and licorice, which speaks to the freshness achieved by this southeast-facing slope planted with centenary vines. It's musky, spiced and floral, with notes of blue fruit and violets, a touch of balsam, ash and incense along with really refined tannins with intense, penetrating and long-lasting flavors. It's clean, pure and delicate but also powerful and concentrated. 1,600 bottles were filled in May 2017. Apr 2018, www.robertparker.com