Bodegas Alto Moncayo 2009 Aquilon

Tasting Notes
Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There's no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus.

Bodegas Alto Moncayo
A joint venture of Jose Miguel San Martin, Jorge Ordonez, Bodegas Borsao and Dan Phillips in conjunction with Chris Ringland. The winery is located in the town of Bulbuente. The grapes are sourced from 62 hectares (153.2 acres) of old clone Garnacha vines planted on hillside vineyards oriented to the southwest. A few of the vineyards are terraced, all the vines are vaso trained. The vineyards are located in 3 small villages. Very unique soils of red clay (indicative of being rich in iron) mixed with red slate. Because of its hillside location, the soils are very poor in organic matter and shallow and a few sites have calcareous soils. The climate is continental with hot summers and cold winters. Nighttime during the summer brings cool temperatures to moderate the growing season and there is scant rainfall.

The main varietals grown at Bodegas Alto Moncayo are Garnacha and Tempranillo. Australian winemaker, Chris Ringland leads the winemaking team.

Winery: Bodegas Alto Moncayo
Varietal: Grenacha
Region: Campo De Borja, Aragon, Spain
Vintage: 2009

The just released 2009 has not yet been reviewed, but below are reviews of the previous two vintages.

90 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine (2008 vintage):
"Plush yet restrained, this alluring red delivers rich, ripe flavors of cassis and huckleberry, framed by chocolate and smoke, supported by firm, smooth tannins and lively acidity. Very polished, in the modern style. Drink now through 2013. 350 cases imported." -TM (Jul 15, 2011)

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2007 vintage):
"The flagship 2007 Aquilon is 100% Garnacha from hillside vineyards planted between 1910 and 1967. It was also aged for 17 months in new French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple/black color, it offers up a brooding bouquet of tar, licorice, pencil lead, Asian spices, black cherry, and black raspberry. Dense, layered, incipiently complex, and powerful, it is more structured than the Alto Moncayo and will benefit from 5-7 years of additional cellaring. It will offer a drinking window extending from 2015-2037.

Old vine Garnacha made under the supervision of renowned vigneron Chris Ringland is the story at Bodegas Alto Moncayo in the little known DO of Campo de Borja." - Jay Miller (Apr 2010)

95 Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (2007 vintage):
"Inky purple. Powerful, mineral-driven aromas of cherry, blueberry, violet oil, licorice and minerals, with a strong overlay of Asian spices. Large-scaled yet elegant, offering sweet dark berry flavors and exotic notes of candied flowers and fruitcake. The mineral element drives the finish, which is broad, sweet and focused. Offers an uncanny blend of power and finesse." - Josh Raynolds (Sep/Oct '09)

93 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine (2007 vintage):
"Intense flavors of black raspberry, ganache, fig and toasted spices are supported by chewy tannins that underpin a velvety texture in this exotic red. Lots of oak and lots of fruit all in balance. Drink now through 2014. 150 cases imported." -TM (Jun 15, 2010)

91 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2007 vintage):
"Smoky, toasty and rich, with no shortage of power and fire in the hole. The palate is meaty and dense, with black fruit, black pepper and heat. But even with the unavoidable heat the wine shows balance along with attractive finishing flavors of fig, beef jerky, licorice and chocolate. Undeniably big and powerful at 16.5% alcohol. Drink soon, and with food. Otherwise it might seem too hot and burning."  - M.S.  (10/1/2010)