La Dama, Navarra, 2018
100% Garnacha from vineyards up to 120 years old averaging 650-750m elevation. More complex mineral laden than El Terroir, La Dama exudes quality, ripe red fruits, orange peel, liquorice and black tea. Silky and profound on the palate with a sense of hidden power, this is judged perfectly with superbly succulent tannins and great energy.
critic reviews
No 2017 was produced, so after the 2016 I tasted a while ago, we jump to the 2018 La Dama, vinified by Enrique Basarte and Elisa Ucar and blended and bottled by Raul Perez, the new owner of the project. They always look for a more delicate expression of Garnacha from selected stonier plots of old head-pruned and dry-farmed vines in the village of San Martin de Unx that are worked organically and biodynamically but are not certified. The wine is stunning, elegant and aromatic, with depth, complexity and grip. It's incredibly young and expressive and doesn't show its age at all; it has a refined nose and is quite fruit-driven and floral, with very integrated oak (like never before), supple flavors and very fine tannins. It has good ripeness and contained alcohol (13.8%) and good freshness and acidity (with a pH of 3.46 and 6.3 grams of tartaric). 10,000 bottles were filled in October 2022.