Los Yelsones 2018

Los Yelsones is made with Tempranillo from La Rad, one of the best single vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, located on a combination of quartz and limestone soils. The result is my favourite wine from Eduardo Eguren's impressive range. Floral and alluring, with thyme and lavender notes, fine tannins, chalky minerality, nuanced oak and fleshy plum and dark cherry flavours. 2024-32

I love the 2018 Los Yelsones, a pure Tempranillo from a vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Planted in 1970 in the higher part of the village at 550 meters in altitude, this vineyard has abundant blocks of calcium carbonate that they call "yelsones," which give the wine its name. It's the wine with more finesse and better-quality tannins. The destemmed grapes fermented in small oak vats, and the wine went through malolactic in new 500-liter French oak barrels, where it matured for 18 months. It combines power and elegance, and it's nicely textured, with a fine thread and focused and clean flavors. It's medium-bodied and has a moderate 13.5% alcohol and shows contained ripeness and extraction. Truly impressive, it's a great debut. 2,070 numbered bottles and 50 magnums were filled in June 2020.

The 2018 Los Yelsones comes from a vineyard planted in 1970, in the San Vicente de la Sonsierra region, and is all Tempranillo that was fermented and aged in French oak (most being new, I believe). Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a concentrated, medium to full-bodied wine with lots of cassis and black raspberry fruits, some obvious minerality, plenty of background oak, not much in the way of baby fat, and outstanding length. Give bottles 3-5 years and it should evolve for 15+.