Artuke El Escolladero 2022

A truly beautiful, fruit-conscious wine that’s really profound, pure and complex. Nothing really stand out on the nose. It shows a wealth of black cherries, herbs, violets, ink and peppery spices. The fruit tannins are abundant and tight but polished. Really juicy, tense and long. Tempranillo and around 25% graciano. From a one-hectare plot planted in 1950 at 650 meters in Abalos. Already drinkable, but much better in the next five or six years.

El Escolladero is a vineyard planted in 1950 in the village of Ábalos at 660 meters in altitude. As with most reds, I tasted two vintages of it, 2021 and 2022. 2022 was a very warm and dry year, and the 2022 El Escolladero is slightly higher in alcohol than the 2021 at 14.1%, but the sensation is of higher ripeness. It's a little more rustic, with darker fruit and some hints of licorice and crushed stones. The palate is full-bodied, with abundant tannins, powerful but elegant. 2,000 bottles were filled in December 2022.