The serious 2021 Hipperia, produced with a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot was not a shy red at 15% alcohol, showing the powerful and showy house style, generously oaked and with abundant tannins. It matured in new French oak barrels for 18 months, and the oak feels quite integrated. 21,279 bottles produced. it was bottled in April 2023.

Tasted next to the 2021, the 2020 Hipperia feels more jovial and fruit-driven, perhaps riper, despite the similar alcohol (15%). The blend was different in that very warm year, with more Cabernet Franc (24%) and less Cabernet Sauvignon (59%), with 14% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. It was a shorter crop, with only 11,850 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.

The captivating 2019 Hipperia is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot with 14.66% alcohol, lower than the majority of reds. It fermented in stainless steel with selected yeasts and added lactic bacteria so that the wine had finished malolactic by November when it was put in new 225-liter French oak barrels, where it matured for 18 months. The blend is done with the help of consultant Eric Boissenot. There is a richness and juiciness here that is very attractive, and the wine is full-bodied and peppery, with abundant tannins and generous oak. 16,141 bottles were filled in July 2021.

I tasted two very different vintages of Hipperia, the top red blend. The 2018 Hipperia is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, as they tend to use more Merlot in cooler years and more Petit Verdot in warmer vintages. This is a nicely crafted Bordeaux blend, with that spicy and peppery, herbal style rounded by Mediterranean herbs and a round and ripe palate. It's powerful and tannic but very balanced, with a soft texture and mouthfeel. It was bottled after 18 months in new French barriques. 26,000 bottles produced.

Like the 2017 Petit Hipperia, the 2017 Hipperia is a lot gentler, more polished and developed than the 2018, and it has a less herbal character. The blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot delivers surprisingly red fruit for a wine with 15.35% alcohol, a mellow palate with fine-grained tannins and moderate to low acidity. The élevage was shortened to 12 months, but it was still in new oak. 12,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2019.