2019 ROC Mencia

2019 was a slightly warmer and drier year than 2018, but the 2019 ROC, like many other top reds from that vintage, doesn't show any heat or excess ripeness. It's a little higher in alcohol (13.7%), but it keeps the balance and poise with more acidity and a little lower pH. It matured in used 228-liter French oak barrels for 16 months. It's a year of high extract and tannin; the reds are more powerful, and they are going to repay time in bottle. This wine has austerity, and more importantly, it has balance. It has depth and minerality, in a different style than 2018, perhaps a more serious version of 2015, which had more fruit; perhaps this is something between 2016 and 2015 and more balanced than the 2017. It should be long lived. 4,725 bottles were filled in April 2021.