2014 Carril del Rey

This bodega, established in 1923, is today one of Spain’s most dynamic producers. Winemaker Marc Isart produces a range of complex, highly perfumed wines that smoothly play power off finesse, in a style that’s reminiscent of the best producers of France’s southern Rhône valley. Isart focuses squarely on Grenache for reds, with a handful of intriguing whites thrown into the mix. Minimal intervention is the byword here, using grapes sourced from the estate’s 35 hectares of organically and biodynamically farmed, low-yielding bush vines. Fermentations and aging take place in used oak, concrete and stainless steel vessels, followed by bottling without fining or filtration. There’s often an intriguing wildness to these wines, but never any sense of rusticity, and their tannic structures are on the delicate side, making them enjoyable soon after release, at the top level as well as at the entry level of the range.