July 5, 2024
New Release: Dominio del Águila Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva 2018
With a near-perfect score hot off the press from the Wine Advocate, this is an offer you won't want to miss.
The Dominio del Águila Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva 2018 stands as a testament to the craftsmanship and dedication of winemaker Jorge Monzón. Based in the village of La Aguilera, Monzón utilizes an impressive collection of ancient, head-pruned vines, predominantly Tempranillo, interspersed with a field blend of Albillo Mayor, Monastrell, Garnacha, Bobal, and Cariñena. The 2018 vintage, described by Monzón as cool and pretty, emphasizes the elegance and freshness that this unique terroir can offer.
Jorge Monzón’s background includes notable experience at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Vega Sicilia, which influences his meticulous approach to winemaking . The grapes for this wine were fermented together with full clusters, foot-trodden in concrete vats, and fermented with indigenous yeasts, following traditional methods. The wine then matured for an impressive 53 months in French oak barrels (4.5 years!). Despite this prolonged ageing period, the wine is remarkably not overly oaky but instead reveals a complex bouquet of floral and perfumed notes.
With only 1,729 bottles and 42 magnums produced, this wine is a rare gem that promises to develop beautifully in the bottle over the next 30 years.
This is a wine that belongs next the Pingus and Vega Sicilia's Unico in the cellar. It's one of my favourite wines from Spain and comes as a huge personal recommendation.
Dominio del Águila Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva 2018
99 Points | Wine Advocate
They didn't produce the 2017 vintage of the single-vineyard wine from some of their oldest vines, so after the 2016 they jumped to the 2018 Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva. It has a very intense nose of licorice, flowers (decayed violets), wet chalk, spices (nutmeg), some nuts (pecan) and a volatile twist with great freshness. It matured in French oak barrels for 53 months. It has a fine thread, a chalky and dry feeling, fine tannins and a dry and very tasty finish that's almost salty. It has all the components and the balance with them to develop nicely in bottle. It should age effortlessly for 30 years. It's very impressive, but it doesn't reach the elegance of the 2016. 1,729 bottles and 42 magnums produced. It was bottled in March 2023.