Thalarn 2014

"One of my favorite Syrahs from Spain has to be the 2014 Thalarn, named after the parish of Tremp in the Pyrenees where the estate is located. It fermented in different vessels, oak foudres, stone lagares and stainless steel vats with malolactic and one year élevage in brand new French oak barrels. It's a cool climate Syrah à la Norhtern Rhône, complex and intense with marked floral and spicy aromas and with a lively palate that shows remarkably fresh, even if the acidity as per the analysis is not that high. It's a slightly warmer and riper than 2013, but sometimes Syrah suffers too much in cold years... This is open and expressive, faintly balsamic, peppery and with a mixture of violets, sour cherries, a touch of smoke. The palate shows good balance and some bittersweet flavors, with very fine tannins, great intensity and length. 15,800 bottles and 50 magnums were bottles in February 2016."