Pícaro del Águila Clarete 2021

Pícaro del Águila Clarete is made from a blend of almost equal amounts of red and white grapes following a once common Ribera del Duero winemaking technique which had virtually disappeared. Bunches of grapes with stems are collected from 80-year-old vines of characteristic varieties such as Albillo, Grey Tempranillo and Bruñal and crushed by foot. The must is then fermented with local yeasts for 10 days in cool underground cellars at the winery and aged for between 16 to 20 months in used wooden barrels before being bottled unclarified and unfiltered. Displaying a fascinating colour somewhere between orange and red, with bright pink glints, it exudes elegant aromas of white flowers and Mediterranean herbs and spices, more reminiscent of a white wine than a rosé. Swirling the wine in the glass for a moment brings out hints of red fruits, oranges and peaches, as well as light herbal and toasted touches from its time spent in wood. Its extraordinary mouth is actually more like that of a red wine than a rosé one: juicy, structured, brimming with freshness and complexity, it has a lively acidity and reasonable strength without being a heavy wine at all. A lightly saline, fresh and very long finish rounds off a delightful wine; a rosé with an unusual minerality ideal for enjoying straight away or for laying down a few years as it will only improve with time.