The 2016 Planella is now 75% Cari?ena and 25% Syrah. It fermented with full clusters and natural yeasts and matured in oak barrels for 12 to 14 months without racking. I previewed the wine just before bottling, once it was out of barrels, blended and ready to be bottled. There is a lot more freshness and precision compared with the 2015. The year was a little cooler, and the vinification was all full cluster (they sold the destemmer in 2012) with foot treading. Their aim is to make a classical wine from the Darmós zone of Montsant, which is more influenced by the Ebro River than the rest of the appellation. The nose is perfumed and subtle, and the palate is medium-bodied and very balanced, terrifically tasty, with a salty twist and very good length. This is the new direction of their wines, and what I tasted should be very much what goes into bottle. 14,000 bottles will be filled in March 2018.

I tasted the 2015 Planella, which is the current vintage on sale. It's from a slightly warmer year with a little more Syrah, a grape that has been reduced in the blend in the following vintages. There is black fruit and a touch of leather and graphite, licorice and an earthy touch. The wines have changed since 2013, and this is getting to the style they want—finesse without losing complexity and the sense of place; it's not a matter of making less-concentrated wines. It's somewhat marked by the Syrah, which represents maybe 30% to 35% of the blend, and the rest is Cari?ena. They have also been fine-tuning the use of oak, trying to find barriques that do not mark the wines.

The 2009 Planella is a blend of 40% Mazuelo (Carinena), 20% Syrah, 20% Garnatxa, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 11 months in French and American oak. Deep purple in color, it exhibits an inviting nose of cedar, mineral, balsamic, lavender, leather, and assorted black fruits. Rich, layered, and succulent on the palate, it will evolve for 2-3 years and offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2021. Importer: Andre Tamers, De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC; www.demaisonselections.lcom

Joan d’Anguera’s 2008 Planella is a blend of Mazuelo, Syrah, Garnacha, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French and American oak for 11 months. Purple-colored with legs that coat the glass, it gives up a nose of spicy black fruits leading a friendly, forward, succulent wine that offers great value. Drink it over the next 6 years. Importer: Andre Tamers, De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC; www.demaisonselectioons.com

Well-balanced and clean aromas of ripe berry fruit, sweat and leather. Smooth palate with a good balance, integrated oak and grainy tannins. Spicy, warm and mouthfilling with a savoury minerality on the finish. Alc: 15%.