Abadia Retuerta Pago Garduna Syrah 2015 -750ml Redneck Wine Company

95pts James Suckling

That this is a big wine is the first thing to note. The nose is saturated in barbecued meat, chorizo, black pepper, blackberry pie, elderberry reduction, plum liqueur and loads of resin. Nevertheless, there’s no hint of anything overripe and everything is well integrated. The palate, meanwhile, isn’t a blockbuster and takes on a more compact guise, even if it packs in muscular tannins and a wealth of dark fruit. Full-bodied and long, yet dialed-in on the finish. Superb.

93pts Vinous
Youthful purple. Powerful aromas of dark berry and cherry preserves, exotic spices, vanilla and incense develop a smoky nuance as the wine stretches out. Fleshy, broad and appealingly sweet but surprisingly lithe as well, offering intense blackberry, boysenberry, licorice and spicecake flavors and a hint of candied flowers. Finishes seamless and impressively long, with an echo of florality, a hint of salty olive and youthfully firm tannins that add shape and solid grip. Aged for 17 months in new French oak barrels.

92pts Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The Syrah 2015 Pago la Garduña is the one bottling that tends to show more marked smoky and toasty notes, perhaps because the oak tends to accentuate the varietal notes. This is matured in 225-liter barriques, and perhaps larger containers would allow the variety to express itself with more freedom, as I find it a bit compressed when it ages in small barrels. It’s structured, with round tannins and good volume. This is a wine that always gives me mixed feelings, as I feel it could be much better—perhaps it’s a matter of waiting for the bottle.

91pts Wine Spectator
Currant, fig and date flavors mingle in this solid red. Coffee and tarry notes give this an austere edge. The muscular tannins are well-integrated, while balsamic acidity keeps this lively. Shows concentration and retains freshness. Drink now through 2025.

Winemaker Notes

This single vineyard wine was produced exclusively with Syrah grapes. The vines are planted in bright, white limestone soil in the middle of pine trees that protect the vineyard from strong winds. The grapes produced here reach perfect ripeness levels. It displays a deep, dark color with black cherry tones, and the nose reveals a spicy, floral bouquet and an explosion of red berry fruit aromas. Balsamic, toasty notes also come through, brought by 18 months’ ageing in new French oak barrels. Smooth and elegant on the palate, this wine is amazingly expressive as well as powerful and very well balanced, followed by a lingering finish.