There was less oak in the 2017 Las Cenizas than what I found in the 2016, but it still comes through as quite marked by the élevage. A Tempranillo from the village of Cenicero, it got quite ripe in 2017 and retained moderate acidity. There are some recurring notes, and last time, I mentioned the word ashy, possibly because of the oak, but coincidentally, the wine name means "the ashes"... 14,140 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2019.

I find the 2016 Las Cenizas too oaky for my taste. This comes from vines in Cenicero, the family village, which is a little warmer and more Mediterranean in character than their La Emperatriz estate. The wine is ripe without excess, and it's very ashy (the word ceniza means ash in Spanish!) and balsamic, with plenty of oak-related flavors too. It matured for 18 months in oak barrels, some 50% of them new. For those who like oaky Tempranillo. 10,814 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2018.

The new village red from Cenicero, the 2015 Las Cenizas, comes from a warm and more-Mediterranean zone than where Finca La Emperatriz is located. It produces more voluptuous wines with rounder and gentler tannins and more obvious fruit. The grapes were picked the 19th of September, mostly Tempranillo with maybe 2% Mazuelo (Cari?ena) from four different vineyards planted by the grandparents of the current generation in the 1980s. The grapes, some uncrushed, fermented in open-top stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts with soft pumping over. The wine matured in new (40%) and used (40%) French and American oak barrels for 16 months. I still find too much influence from the new oak, with spicy and lactic notes. It's approachable and with a commercial profile. 6,643 bottles were filled in April 2017.