Terra de Cuques Negre 2017

The Torroja Vi de Vila has been renamed and is now the 2017 Terra de Cuques, basically because they didn't find enough grapes in Torroja for this wine. In 2017, it's still fruit from Torroja, but in the future there will be grapes from other villages. There are strong notes of licorice, red berries and Mediterranean herbs, and it's aromatic, expressive, open, clean and, frankly, very attractive. Like many 2017s, it doesn't show any heat or excess ripeness. The oak foudres are getting older every year and lend less and less aromas and flavors, and the wines feel purer and purer. This is a super elegant blend of Garnacha and Cariñena that's really balanced and has symmetry, definition and delineation, as chiseled and precise as if laser cut. There's even some austerity on the palate, something I didn't expect from a richer vintage. 20,000 bottles produced. - Luis Gutiérrez.