The newest project for the Alvaro family, in partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild. This 2015 second wine has an alluring chocolate and cherry nose with impressively integrated spicy oak. The palate has firm tannins in the mid-palate. Very plush, detailed and attractive, long and balanced. Big plum flavor. Very fresh. Drink or hold.

The entry level here is the 2015 Macán Clásico, pure Tempranillo from their 92 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Ábalos, Labastida, El Villar and San Vicente de la Sonsierra. It fermented in stainless steel after a cold soak, followed by malolactic partly in barriques and an élevage of 12 to 14 months in new and second use French oak barrels. This is the last vintage that was fermented in the old winery, but it has already finished its élevage in the new winery. They have much better facilities now, and they feel they have more precision from 2016 onward, as they have a great diversity of fermentation vessels; they have introduced 4,000-liter oak vats, and they can also treat the press wine separately. 2015 is a riper and warmer vintage, but they harvested quite early to find balance and avoid over-ripeness. It's clean, modern and balanced, with integrated oak and the classical berry flavors with a spicy twist. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with some grainy tannins and enough elegance to counterbalance the natural power. I would say it's a very successful 2015, a vintage that is overdelivering in many cases. 70,928 bottle, 1,042 magnums, 62 double magnums and 22 imperials produced. It was bottled in May 2017. - LG