Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the most expressive Syrahs from Spain, the 2013 Thalarn carries the name of the village where the winery is located. It was fermented in stone lagares (from the 12th century!), oak vats and stainless steel tanks and then transferred to new French oak barrels for malolactic and 11 months élevage. The nose does not show the oak, as the herbal character is stronger. At first I got some animal aromas, faint leather and a touch of tempera paint that developed strong medicinal notes with time in the glass. At the same time it's quite a mineral, stony wine. The palate is medium-bodied, with a very fine texture and polished tannins, good acidity and length. It is still quite young and undeveloped so is in need of some time in bottle. It might improve with time but today I don't see it as the level of the previous vintages and the animal hint makes me a little hesitant. 19,600 bottles produced.
Rating: 93?
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.