The Old Brick Factory Syrah 2019
#1 Top Reds May 2023 – Bob Campbell MW’s Top Drops
94/100 Wine Orbit
93/100 Bob Campbell MW
93/100 Gold Medal Gilbert & Gaillard
92/100 Cameron Douglas MS
Produced by Bodegas Piqueras, founded in 1915 by Mario Bonete, one of the driving forces behind the creation of Almansa DO. In south-east Spain (100 kilometres inland from Valencia.) Today, Mario’s sons look after the estate, with the goal of producing eminent wines at fantastic prices.
There used to be a brick factory on this piece of the vineyard; the clay was so good that many of the local houses are made from bricks from this site.
The vineyard is situated at 800 metres altitude with an extreme continental climate, low rainfall and limestone-rich clay soils which are managed using organic farming methods… perfect conditions for low-yielding, slow-ripening vines which produce rich, ripe, bold red wines of excellent concentration and quality.
Sourced from hand-harvested, 30-year-old, organically-farmed vines this is an intense, ripe expression of Syrah with deep flavours and is aged in fine-grained French oak for 9 months to give a gentle, creamy texture. This wine massively over delivers for the price. It is a perfect accompaniment to rich meat and cheese dishes and will age well for 2-4 years in the bottle.
Food Pairing: Enjoy this award-winning wine simply by itself or accompanied by tapas, cheese, roasted or grilled meat.
"It's wonderfully ripe and enticing on the nose with dark cherry, cake spice and roasted hazelnut characters with a lovely touch of dark cocoa. The palate is concentrated and flavoursome, delivering a fleshy texture and plump mouthfeel, finishing persistent and delectable. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2022
"Beautiful dep ruby. Mature nose marrying jammy red fruits and a spicy, oaky tone. The palate revolves around the same aromatic components with a fresh, charming and delicately exotic feel" Gilbert & Gaillard 2022