92pts View from the Cellar– 2015 vintage

The 2015 Vega Escal Crianza is composed of a blend of thirty-nine percent Garnaxta, twenty-five percent Carignan, twenty-one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eleven percent Syrah and four percent Merlot. The wine is raised in a combination of French and American oak casks for eighteen months prior to bottling and the 2015 comes in at an even fourteen percent alcohol, which is quite moderate for this region in the vintage. The bouquet here is deep and complex, offering up scents of raspberries, cassis, grilled meats, garrigue, lovely spice tones, a bit of olive, stony soil and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and nascently complex, with fine depth at the core, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a long, well-balanced and promising finish. I really like how the syrah component here adds to the complexity of the wine, as it shows more influence on both the nose and palate than its eleven percent might suggest. This is really good wine in the making, but it deserves some time in the cellar to soften up properly. It is going to be excellent! This bottling sells for $27 in the US, making it perhaps the single finest value from Priorat that I have tasted in the last twenty years! Impressive juice. 2023-2055.

91pts Wine Spectator– 2015 vintage

This red shows density without heaviness, delivering ripe plum, currant, licorice, spice and loamy earth flavors in a round texture, supported by well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity. Shows a good balance of fruity and savory notes. Lively and harmonious. Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Drink now through 2025.

91pts International Wine Review– 2015 vintage

The Vega Escal Crianza is a blend of 39% Garnacha, 25% Carinena, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah and 4% Merlot. Sourced from granite and slate vineyards, it offers earthy herbal mineral notes on the nose and has a mineral-like texture. It reveals good extract and firmness on the finish. Made by new winemaker Fernando Mora.