Finally, their top red, the 2009 La Plazuela, a blend of 80% Tempranillo (called locally Cencibel) and the rest Garnacha Tintorera (aka Alicante Bouschet), is sourced from dry-farmed, head-pruned old vineyards on chalk-rich soils and fermented in a small stainless-steel vat. The wine had an extended aging, one year in an oak vat, 18 months in 300-liter brand new French and American oak barrels and a further year in vat before bottling. A dark-colored, concentrated and ripe red, the nose is quite subtle, intermixing the black fruit, spices, dark chocolate and damp earth, with the oak perfectly integrated, perhaps because of the long aging. The long aging concentrates the wine by evaporation, and the palate reveals a serious wine, powerful and concentrated without excess, combining power and elegance with plenty of dusty tannins balanced by good acidity with a mineral, earthy finish. A serious, powerful red, one of the best in La Mancha. I had the chance to taste the 2001, the first vintage produced, and it was showing superbly. It has developed plenty of complexity and shows fully resolved tannins in quite a classical way. It is in a very good moment now, but it will still last, and even if 2009 is a riper vintage it should develop well in bottle. 6,000 bottles were produced.