Mustiguillo Mestizaje 2013
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
#98 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buys of 2016
?Say it with us, mest-i-zah-hay. Organic viticulture at 800 meters altitude where traditional farming meets modern techniques in this young wine from Mustiguillo.
Blend: 75% Bobal, 9% Garnacha, 8% Merlot, 7% Syrah, 1% Cabernet
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All the reds from this producer are part of their own single-vineyard appellation, El Terrerazo. The 2013 Mestizaje a blend of 78% Bobal and the rest Garnacha, Syrah, Tempranillo and Merlot fermented with the indigenous yeast they have selected from their oldest vineyards and aged separately until after malolactic at which time they are blended and aged in used French barrels. There is no Finca Terrerazo in 2013 because hail damage, so part of the grapes that would normally go into Finca Terrerazo are in this wine; so this is a kind of super-Mestizaje. There is superb integration of the oak here and a very aromatic profile on the nose full of flowers and red berries with hints of aromatic herbs. The pleasant palate is medium-bodied, supple, has very fine tannins, good freshness and is easy to drink. This is the first vintage that this wine is labeled and sold as Vino de Pago. Great value, possibly the best Mestizaje so far. 148
-
Wine Enthusiast
Lightly medicinal scents of plum and raspberry come with aromatic complexities like lemon peel and a dusting of cinnamon. This is crisp, focused and friendly on the palate, with ripe plum, blackberry, chocolate and oak-spice flavors. A long, steady, toasty finish makes this Bobal-led blend from a single designated property called El Terrerazo an outright winner.
Best Buy
Other Vintages
2020-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
A relatively new winery, Mustiguillo was created to give a place and prominence to the unheralded varietal Bobal. The owners believe strongly that this grape, when cropped low and harvested later, can produce wines that rival some of the greatest wines of Northern Spain. As such, many of the old vines of the property have been kept (some as old as 90 years old) and new vines of Bobal have been planted as well.
Utiel-Requena lies on a warm, arid plateau at an average of 700 meters above sea level. Mustiguillo owns four distinct parcels scattered throughout the zone including two over 800 meters. Soil structure is quite poor, with low amounts of organic material. Gravel, some clay, and smaller amounts of limestone make up the bulk of the vineyards. Rainfall is lower than the Spanish average and this shortage is thought to contribute to the excellent fruit concentration of these vines.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.