Francesc Sanchez Bas Montsalvat 2001

 

Wine Advocate 95 points

Review:The 2001 Montsalvat is a gargantuan effort composed of 70% Carinena from 70- to 80-year-old vines and 30% Garnacha of the same age with yields of less than a ton per acre. The wine was aged 16 months in new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The color is a nearly black/purple with a huge nose of marzipan, mineral, vanilla, and wild blue and blackberries. Full-bodied, the wine has an untamed, rustic feel on the palate with layered, opulent blue and black fruits as well as a balsamic note, and a splendid integration of oak, acid, and tannins. Give this wine a few years in bottle for further evolution and then drink it over the next 10-15 years.