Pagos de Viña Real

I hadn't tasted the more modern wine from the Viña Real range for a while, and I was a bit surprised to see that they are already releasing the 2016 Pagos de Viña Real, pure Tempranillo aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months. It's quite a bit more classical than what I remember from the previous vintages, with less imprint of the French oak; in fact, it feels like it might have had some American oak, as it has balsamic notes of cigar ash, cold bonfire and incense. It's medium to full-bodied with fine tannins and good grip. This is a lot more elegant and balanced. Modernity and tradition seem to converge. 5,000 bottles were filled in September 2018.