Masperla 2009

The 2009 Masperla is based on 47% Garnacha and 30% Carinena, augmented by Bordeaux varieties. Cropped at just 12 hectoliters per hectare, the wine was vinified by oenologist Gilles Pauquet, one of the most respected consultants of the Right Bank, and raised entirely in new French oak. It has a well-defined, very pure bouquet with red cherries, lavender and violets that is very delineated and controlled. The palate is balanced with the new oak subsumed into the fabric of ripe blackberry, bilberry and cocoa. Rich, but not overpowering, this should age with style over the next decade. Drink now-2025. Score - 90. (Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, April 2012)