Despite having very similar parameters, like 16% alcohol, the 2021 El Nido came through as fresher and more balanced than the 2020 I tasted next to it. It has a ripe and heady nose with notes of violets and very ripe fruit, spice, toast and a touch of creaminess. It's full-bodied, with density and pungent flavors that are very persistent. The quality of the tannins also feels different, more elegant here. It's still too young and it needs time. 5,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2023.

The 2020 El Nido is faithful to the style of the house defined at the turn of the century. It's a blend of old-vine Monastrell from plants yielding no more than 600 grams of fruit per vine and younger (but already over 40 years old) Cabernet Sauvignon. It's heady, ripe and creamy, with abundant oak-related flavors and plenty of tannins. This is designed for the long haul, but the profile will be similar throughout its life. It matured in brand-new barriques for 22 months. 5,500 bottles were filled in August 2022.

A stylish red, with the savory underpinning of tarry smoke and cured tobacco serving as a fine counterpoint to ripe black currant, fig cake and licorice twist flavors. Gains power and weight from the concentrated flavors and sinewy tannins, but this is deftly knit and fresh. Harmonious today, but should also show well with short-term cellaring. Pretty spice and violet notes play on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell. Drink now through 2034. 450 cases made, 280 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Spain / Jumilla Select to Add

I also tasted the 2019 El Nido, produced with a similar blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell as the 2018 I tasted next to it. This wine always ferments in stainless steel with neutral yeasts and matures in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 23 months. 2019 was marked by torrential rains during the harvest (200+ liters in Jumilla) and the crop was reduced by 30%. It's a little lower in alcohol at 15.5%. Even if younger and a little creamier, I feel there is better integration of the oak (or the toasted notes from the charred wood) in this 2019 than in the 2018. It's fresher and has better balance in the XXL style of red that doesn't come through as varietal; the grapes feel very integrated, and the varietal character seems diluted in the blend. 5,500 bottles were filled in September 2021.

A thick, concentrated red, with herbed green olive, tobacco and tar notes meshed with blackberry coulis, mocha and star anise in a full-bodied frame. Lush and silky on the palate, with fine tannins emerging on the lightly juicy, velvety finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell. Drink now through 2030. 450 cases made, 280 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Spain / Jumilla Select to Add