Atalaya La Atalaya 2008
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Atalaya is a blend of Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), and other unspecified varieties. It was aged for 8 months in French oak. Deep crimson-colored, it displays an aromatic array of cedar, spice box, violets, blueberry, and blackberry with a hint of licorice in the background. On the palate it has layers of savory fruit, excellent concentration, and a long, fruit-filled finish. It is likely to evolve for 1-3 years but can be enjoyed now. This outstanding value over-delivers in a big way.
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Robert
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
The winery and vineyards are located in the eastern part of Albacete, between Valencia, Alicante and Murcia, a transitional zone between the Castillian meseta (plateau) and the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyards are located on poor soils, rich in limestone, at an altitude of 2300-3300 ft. The area has a continental climate with very low rainfall (less than 14 inches/year) which creates the perfect conditions to keep yields low, lending to high quality fruit with great concentration of color and flavor. The vineyards are all dry farmed without the use of pesticides or herbicides.
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.