The 2014 Macizo is similar to the Massis, also equal parts of Xarello and Garnacha Blanca from selected plots or even specific vines from some of the vineyards used for Massis. Here I feel more influence from the Garnacha Blanca, and there is a touch more spice, as they used a little new oak. It's serious and clean, with a mouthfeel of chalky tannins with good volume; it is powerful and balanced. This is a lot more seriousness than the Massis and it really grows in the glass, so I expect a good and slow development in bottle. Some 4,000 bottles produced.

To be honest, I found the 2013 Macizo very similar to the 2013 Massis, and it's also a 50/50 blend of Xarello and Garnacha Blanca with s little more spicy-oaky aromas and some more volume in the palate. There is oak, but not too obvious. I think this wine will age better, but for current drinking the younger sibling is perfect.

The 2012 Macizo is a 50/50 blend of Xarello and Garnacha Blanca that was fermented in new, refrigerated oak barrels where it aged for a period of eight months. I tasted the 2011 and 2010 versions as well as the 2012 and I see a progression toward more freshness and acidity and less oak, irrespective of the character of the vintage. The 2012 might be the finest so far, with very good balance and integration of the oak, notes of fennel, pear and white peach, subtle and tasty, with some chalky minerality that make it vibrant, ending with good persistence of flavors. Drink now-2016. Vins del Massis is the name of the white wine operation set up by Benjamin Romeo from Contador in Rioja with a couple of friends within the limits of Penedes, in the Garraf zone, not too far from Barcelona. They bottle their wines under the generic appellation Catalunya. Imported by Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565