2015 La Aguada

Surprisingly enough, the 2015 Vigno Single Vineyard la Aguada was bottled at the same time as the 2014 vintage, so I also got to taste it even though the wine won't see the light for some time. Even if 2015 was a warmer year, it was also the year the dry-farmed vineyards of Maule saw more rain than in the last three years. This helped the plants to regain balance, but the ripening was heterogeneous, which they think helped this field blend to keep the acidity. In fact, the wine is only marginally higher in alcohol and also higher in acidity than the 2014. The difference here is that the élevage in second use 5,000-liter oak foudres was shortened to 21 months. This feels very austere, incredibly young and vertical, with a texture clearly influenced by the granite; they thought the wine didn't need any more time in oak, and it has kept fantastic freshness. However, this won't be sold until early 2018, so it will have time to rest in bottle. It seems like the rains of 2015, even if the year was a little warmer, helped the dry-farmed vines to produce fresher wines. The nose shows more the character of the vintage while the palate is angular and with marked acidity. I believe this is going to age superbly. 3,300 bottles were filled in January 2017.