The 2018 Thalarn is named after the village it comes from, where the Syrah vines were planted in 2003 on limestone rich soils at 850 to 1,000 meters in altitude. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, oak vats and ancient outdoor stone pools and matured in new French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by a further three months in larger oak vats and then was kept in bottle for some three years. It's aromatic, juicy, smoky and varietal, with moderate ripeness at 13.23% alcohol and good freshness and balance. Despite what one might think, the wine is not oaky; the oak is neatly integrated and folded into the fruit. It's evolving slowly and takes time to unfurl the aromas of ripe berries and underbrush. It's powerful but balanced, with abundant, fine-grained tannins and a dry, long finish. 9,900 bottles and 100 magnums were filled in January 2020.

The meaty and smoky 2017 Thalarn shows Syrah typicity, some flower and bacon aromas and hints of tar. It has a medium-bodied palate that combines volume with freshness. It has vibrant acidity that makes it long and tasty, with clean and focused flavors, showing the variety. This matured in new barriques, yet the oak is perfectly integrated in the wine. 9,900 bottles and 100 magnums were filled in January 2019.

The 2016 Thalarn is pure Syrah from the estate vineyards planted in 2003 on the property in the village that gives the wine its name. The wine had a slightly shorter élevage and had only been bottled for a few days when I tasted it. 2016 was a warm and dry vintage, with very healthy grapes. The high altitude of the vineyards, planted on limestone soils at 850 to 1,000 meters altitude, and the difference of temperature between night and day allows the wines to retain freshness even in slightly riper vintages like this 2016. It feels extremely young and a little raw, very primary and exuberant with upfront fruit and no trace of oak even though it matured in new French oak barrels for 12 months followed by a further three months in larger oak vats. It's juicy and expressive, with ripe berries and underbrush aromas. It's a powerful and slightly riper vintage with lower acidity than previous years. It will need a little more time to develop some more complexity. 12,400 bottles and 150 magnums were filled in late January 2018.

I tasted two vintages of the pure Syrah named after the village where the estate is located, the oldest of which is the 2015 Thalarn. It had been in bottle since June 2017 after 12 months in new barrique and seven months in foudre. The wine had floral and spicy characteristics with hints of licorice, fennel and some other Mediterranean herbs. The palate felt balanced, with very fine tannins, polished and with very integrated oak. 8,000 bottles and 200 magnums produced.

One of my favorite Syrahs from Spain has to be the 2014 Thalarn, named after the parish of Tremp in the Pyrenees where the estate is located. It fermented in different vessels, oak foudres, stone lagares and stainless steel vats with malolactic and one year élevage in brand new French oak barrels. It's a cool climate Syrah à la Norhtern Rh?ne, complex and intense with marked floral and spicy aromas and with a lively palate that shows remarkably fresh, even if the acidity as per the analysis is not that high. It's a slightly warmer and riper than 2013, but sometimes Syrah suffers too much in cold years... This is open and expressive, faintly balsamic, peppery and with a mixture of violets, sour cherries, a touch of smoke. The palate shows good balance and some bittersweet flavors, with very fine tannins, great intensity and length. 15,800 bottles and 50 magnums were bottles in February 2016.