Pies Negros, Rioja, 2021
A step up in concentration and complexity over the Joven, Pies Negros 2021 is laced with dark cherry and raspberry and violet, quite a firm acidity, it’s crunchy and fun, offering simple fruit pleasure with a certain amount of cool, mineral character underpinning. A regional blend generally from higher vineyards in Banos de Ebro around 600m raised for 12-13 months in neutral oak barrels of varying sizes.
critic reviews
I tasted two vintages of most wines, including the village wine from Abalos, the oldest of which was the 2021 Pies Negros. It fermented with uncrushed grapes and indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter barrels for one year, but 10% of the wine was kept in concrete. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.51. It's clean, aromatic and primary, juicy and balanced, with fine and elegant tannins. 65,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in December 2022.