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Tasting notes
(200% new oak) Inky ruby. Spicy cherry, cassis and licorice scents are complemented by cracked pepper and baking spices. Chewy red and dark berry flavors are firmed by gentle tannins and become spicier with air. Gains sweetness on the finish, with the vivid dark berry qualities repeating. This closed down with aeration and became more tannic, so I'd err on the side of caution and stash it away for at least another four or five years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2005 Pujanza Cisma is sourced from a single vineyard, named La Valcavada, with over 100-year-old vines at high altitude. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in new oak and then spent 18 months in new French barriques prior to being bottled unfiltered. Even more expressive than the Norte, it exhibits notes of wood smoke, mineral, saddle leather, truffle, espresso, black raspberry, and blackberry. This leads to a dense, formidably packed, muscular wine with gobs of fruit and plentiful tannin. The flavors are pleasing but this is a wine that will require patience. Give it 12-15 years to unfold and drink this behemoth through 2050. If it evolves as I think it will, in 10-15 years my score will be seen as conservative. Importer: Aurelio Cabestrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (571) 642-0343