Vinicola Corellana Viña Zorzal Malayeto 2024 750ml

A longtime favorite of mine and still a bargain, the 2021 Malayeto is always one of the most elegant and finest wines from Zorzal. It comes from 2.39 hectares of vines that are now 43 years old, planted at 520 meters altitude on limestone-rich soils in the village of Fitero, on the same slope as their Corral de los Altos. It fermented in a combination of stainless steel and concrete and matured in 12 used 500-liter barrels and one 4,000-liter oak foudre for one year. It has 13.45% alcohol and is medium-bodied with great balance, finesse, freshness and acidity. It has good depth and a sense of good ripeness (riper than Corral de los Altos this year!). There is great consistency in this vineyard, and this wine is serious, precise and long. 13,300 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023.

The 2022 Malayeto surprised me. This wine is always harmonious and goes beyond the variety even in a warm, dry and ripe year like 2022. And it has a harmony and balance, coming through as clean and expressive, with precision and definition. This is the 10th vintage for this plot of Garnacha grown on an alluvial terrace. It fermented in stainless steel and concrete and matured in a 4,000-liter oak vat and 13 500-liter French oak barrels for 12 months. It has 13.78% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 5.5 grams of acidity. 13,900 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2024. (Luis Gutiérrez)