La Baixada, Alvaro Palacios 2024

The foudre sample of the 2024 La Baixada I tasted was pure Garnacha from 26-year-old vines fermented with indigenous yeasts and 48 days of maceration in oak vats. It has 14.4% alcohol, a pH of 3.55 and 4.94 grams of acidity. This 2024 feels a little wilder. It is slightly cloudy and has a vibrant nose that initially reminded me of a Trousseau from Jura, with notes of watermelon, hibiscus and rose hip. We tasted another sample drawn from the top of the vat, and it had a similar character. The wine finished malolactic recently and was transferred to the foudre, and the change in pressure made it to be a bit blurry. Apparently, this wine was the sensation of all the 2024s tastings, but Álvaro was a bit disturbed when we tasted it because of how it showed, but I loved it; the palate is superb. We'll see next year... They expect to fill around 3,800 bottles in 2026.