The 2014 Altar de Otazu was produced with Cabernet Sauvignon with malolactic in barrel and an élevage of 18 months. It rained and rained during the 2014 harvest (I was in Rioja, which is not that far away), and I remember it perfectly—the rain never stopped. The selection had to be even stricter, and they produced even fewer bottles. It has 14.5% alcohol, mellow acidity and a polished palate with some remaining tannins that would benefit from some powerful food. 3,633 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2016.

The 2013 Altar de Otazu comes from a cooler year, and the wine has lower alcohol (14%) and more freshness. It fermented at low temperature for a week and matured in barrel for 18 months, including malolactic. 2013 was a very challenging year, with plenty of rain and a very cold summer, and they had to discard many grapes. They produced fewer bottles, and the results show the conditions of the year—more herbal and perhaps evolving faster than the 2010, but it's lively and peppery and has complexity. 5,646 bottles were filled in June 2015.

I tasted three different vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon aged in barrel for 18 months, starting with the 2010 Altar de Otazu, a wine that is polished and sleek but still reflects the winemaking of that time and the élevage in oak. The three vintages were very faithful to the conditions of the years; this 2010 is a very good and balanced vintage combining ripeness and power with freshness. The wine shows very good balance and is developing very slowly and harmoniously. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this bottling. 8,932 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2012.

I retasted the 2009 Altar because I read my note from the previous tasting, and it sounded strange. The wine showed much better this time: clean, with developed aromas and flavors, tertiary complexity and notes of brick dust and forest floor. A much better showing than the previous time I tasted it in 2017! It has evolved nicely.

Tobacco, cedar and sanguine notes frame a core of plum, dried cherry and mint flavors in this big red, which is round and deep, with firm tannins and balsamic acidity, a muscular wine that's maturing well. Drink now through 2020. 750 cases made, 40 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Navarra Select to Add