Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Bobal, 10% Pardilla, Malvasía, Moravia Agría, Moravia Dulce, & Rojal
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This bright red is well-spiced and minerally, with notes of iron and stone underscoring the expressive flavors of ripe black raspberry and dried cranberry fruit, wild sage and crushed pine, fig cake and espresso. Silky in texture, this is framed by well-knit, racy acidity and light, fine tannins. Drink now through 2029. 1,500 cases made, 350 cases imported.
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James Suckling
Some wild herbs, stems and flowers on top of strawberries and dark plums. Medium to full body with bold tannins that grow on the palate, adding some nice grip to the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The village red 2019 El Reflejo was produced with Bobal grapes from 15 separate plots in the process of being certified organic in Casas de Benítez and Pozoamargo close to the Júcar River, all within five kilometers of each other on limestone soils. In 2019, they harvested earlier, looking for more freshness, and with slightly higher yields guided from the pruning. They used 50% full clusters in the fermentation in 3,300-liter stainless steel vats that was quite soft, with a total time of 21 days. The wine matured in a combination of tinajas, concrete vats and 225- and 500-liter oak barrels for a total of 14 months. It's floral and perfumed, quite showy, open an expressive with a medium-bodied palate, focused flavors and fine tannins.
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.