93 Luca Maroni - Annuario dei Migliori Vini Italiani

The pure Monastrell 2016 Elo was produced with vines from Yecla at 770 meters in altitude on limestone-rich soils. It's the fruit of a single ungrafted plot that was planted in 1973. 2016 was a rainier year, more continental than the Mediterranean 2015. The clusters fermented in stainless steel pools for 28 days, and the bunches were foot trodden twice per day. The wine matured in 500-liter French oak barrels for one year and a further year in bottle. It's ripe without excess and shows varietal aromas, a bit of tree bark, wild berries and aromatic herbs. The palate is medium to full-bodied and reveals fine, slightly grainy tannins. 2,300 bottles were filled in January 2019.