Dominio del Águila Pícaro del Águila Tinto 2023

Pícaro del Águila comes from the vineyards of La Aguilera, a historic village in Ribera del Duero, north of Aranda de Duero in Castilla y León. Here the estate works old field-blend vines, farmed organically on soils mixing limestone, clay and sand, at almost 900 metres. The extreme continental climate, with hot summers and very cool nights, encourages slow ripening and grapes that are both ripe and full of freshness.

The grapes are harvested by hand and vinified as whole bunches with native yeasts. Fermentation proceeds slowly in concrete tanks, with a maceration of 18 to 28 days, then malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels. Ageing lasts 12 to 15 months in French barriques, 15% of them new, before bottling without fining or filtration.

This wine reveals notes of wild blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, myrtle, maquis, pepper, liquorice and graphite. The juicy, slightly sanguine black fruit comes with spicy, wild nuances. The palate, full and fleshy, is round and generous, with velvety, polished tannins, lovely sap and a fresh, coherent finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.