The 2004 La Mala comes from 160-year-old, ungrafted Tempranillo vines and is aged for 19 months in French barriques of which 50% is new. The wine is opaque purple-colored and the brooding nose reluctantly gives up toast, mineral, charcoal, smoked meat, and blackberry aromas. Full-bodied and tightly wound, with layers of fruit and abundant ripe tannins, this large-scaled effort needs 8-10 years to blossom. It’s a bit of a gamble but if things come together, my score will appear low. Kudos to Dominio Atauta! Importer: Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, Ca; tel. (707) 996-4484