The top-of-the-range 2016 Alaya Tierra (which used to be called only Alaya, but the name was a little too similar to Laya) is pure Garnacha Tintorera from old vines planted at 1,000 meters in elevation. This is a ripe, heady, dense red that reached 16% alcohol and even retained some residual sweetness. It's opaque, off-dry and heady, almost a dessert wine but with loads of tannin, a little à la Recioto. It has so much tannin that the sweetness is not really perceptible. This is a difficult wine, a bit freaky, but perhaps with a few years in bottle it could be paired with game dishes. It matured in brand new French oak barrels for 15 months. It's not for the fainthearted. I had not tasted this wine for a very long time, and this could be an elegant vintage within its brutal profile. Very unusual. 18,000 bottles were filled in March 2018.

This rich red delivers ripe fruit in a thick texture, with notes of currant and blackberry, framed by cocoa, espresso and licorice details. Muscular tannins tame this powerful, heady wine. Garnacha. Drink now through 2026. 1,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Almansa Select to Add