María Alonso del Yerro 2019

Crítica

2019 / 94 puntos
The wines here are quite homogeneous and keep the poise and the house style—clean, modern and concentrated—but they always show the effect of the year, as it should be. The 2019 María was cropped from a warmer and drier year that delivered powerful wines from grapes that ripened faster, and the main difference with the 2018 that I tasted next to it is the quality of the tannins, as I also saw in the regular Alonso del Yerro cuvée. The tannins are grainier, and there's a stronger sensation of rusticity and earthiness; it doesn't come through as refined and elegant as the 2018. But it's still very good, among the best in this style from the vintage, with noticeable oak but not dominating the wine. Ironically enough, the wine has a little less alcohol than the 2018—this is 14%. 5,500 bottles and 100 magnums produced. It matured for 15 months in French barriques, 25% of them new.
2015 / 93+ puntos
Sourced from two plots that have different characteristics that complement each other, the 2015 María combines power and ripeness with elegance. It fermented in a 6,000-liter oak vat with a soft vinification followed by 14 months in French oak barrels, 20% of them new. The character of the vintage, warmer and riper, is quite obvious in this wine that has riper and darker fruit, which is especially evident when tasted next to the 2016s, but it manages to keep its poise and balance. At the same time, there is more depth here than in the regular Alonso del Yerro. There is freshness in the palate and there is harmony; it's also less ripe than older vintages, and there is a strong sensation of chalk in the tannins. There is also more impact from the élevage in oak, but it feels quite integrated. It's still very young, but it should get better with some more time in bottle. The wine evolves nicely in the glass, so if you're going to pull the cork anytime soon, perhaps decanting it in advance would be a good idea. 4,700 bottles and 140 magnums were filled in July 2017.