2005 Anima Negra AN/2 Mallorca 13.5%
Enjoyed an enomatic pour of this a few weeks ago so decided to try a bottle.
Made in Mallorca from 50+ year old vines of indigenous Callet, Mantonegre-Fogoneu, as well as Syrah. Fermented with indigenous yeats and matured for 12 months in 70% French and 30% American barriques, 30% of them new.
Nose is international but gentle and quite attractive, with chocolate, toast and eucalyptus. First taste, before food, is more bitter than acidic, with medium tannins, slightly excessive vanilla, but well-regulated toast. The bitterness didn't bother Marcia, but I sometimes wonder if I am extra sensitive to it (being one of the few people who doesn't love olives). After food, the wine acquires better balance as the bitterness recedes and acidity becomes the main counterweight to sweetness.
All in all, I preferred the aromatics to the taste. Don't know where the bitterness comes from, since the level of barrel toast feels right. There were some original/unusual aspects that I couldn't put my finger on, probably coming from the unfamiliar grapes. I don't mind oak, but here I wish there had been no oak so I could experience these new critters more directly. The alcohol level and indigenous yeasts suggest that the winery's heart is half-way in the right place, perhaps I'll try this again when they swing all the way...