Abeica Mazuelo de Larrumbe 2022

The varietal 2022 Mazuelo de Larrumbe comes from a single vineyard planted with Mazuelo (a.k.a. Cariñena) grapes in a cool place that delivers very balanced and perfumed wines of unusual finesse and aging potential. It has a moderate 13.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.15 and 6.9 grams of acidity and is surprisingly light and fresh for the very warm and dry year, but remember, Mazuelo likes heat—it NEEDS heat. The vines were planted in 45 years ago on shallow limestone soils at 560 meters above sea level. The uncrushed grapes fermented in open-top vats, in this case with indigenous yeasts, and matured in neutral, well-seasoned 500-liter barrels for 11 months including malolactic. This is a wine of great finesse, from a small plot that is in a cool place protected by the wind where they manage to achieve the ripeness. It starts with a slightly reductive profile but opens up slowly in the glass. It has the serious, austere and elegant house profile with very fine, chalky tannins. Viva la Cariñena! 1,400 bottles produced; there will be less in 2023 and even less in 2024. It was bottled in February 2024. This was first produced in 2019. (Luis Guitérrez) 

Light in color for a mazuelo, with a transparent, medium-ruby hue. Bright and racy, with a mixture of crushed red and blue berries, stone fruit and minerals. Super juicy and bright, with fine, pixelated tannins and a long, fruit-conscious finish. Delicious now, but can hold.