Dos Dedos de Frente 2014

Dos Dedos de Frente is a contraction of 'no tiene dos dedos de frente'. This translates literally as 'he doesn't have two fingers of forehead' but is actually a Spanish idiom meaning 'he isn't the brightest button in the haberdashers', or a modern equivalent. You're worried now, aren't you?

Well don't be, because all you really need to know is that this is a deliciously intense wine with a cassis and violet nose and a full, black fruit palate thickened with well-integrated oak. But it'll be a while before you can find that out for yourself, because you're not even thinking about the wine yet, are you?

Instead, you've got your fingers on your forehead, and you're wondering if your forehead begins at the top of your nose, or just above your eyebrows. Stop it, just pick the glass up!

El Escoces Volante ("The Flying Scotsman") was set up in Calatayud in 2003, by Norrel Robinson MW. It currently owns nine hectares of Old Vine Garnacha, and has long-standing relationships with local growers, which enables it to source old vine blocks of the highest quality and make wines of outstanding character. All fruit is picked and selected by hand, in accordance with regional tradition. El Escoces Volante now produces a number of award-winning wines from selected high altitude vineyards in Aragon, and Norrel has other winemaking projects in Murcia, Andalucia and Galicia. He also consults for many high profile Spanish wineries.

Norrel was born and bred in Scotland, graduating from Aberdeen University with a Masters degree in Politics and International Relations and developing a love for wine through doing part time work for Oddbins while he studied. He has worked in the wine trade for some twenty years, starting in sales and working vintages in Chianti, Portugal, Australia, France and Chile. He embarked on the Master of Wine course in 1998, becoming an MW in November 2000 and winning the Robert Mondavi Award for the best overall theory performance in the exam. He studied Postgraduate Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand in 2002-2003,and in 2003 he moved to Spain as winemaker for International Wine Services. His swiftly developed attachment to the old Garnacha vineyards of Calatayud, Aragon inspired him to start making his own wines.

The grapes for Dos Dedos de Frente come from the single estate of Finca del Val, 950 metres above sea level, where two parcels of Syrah are sited on "Cantos" (pudding stones). They were hand picked into 20kg cases in the early hours of 16th October and chilled to zero degrees for 48 hours before being crushed and cold soaked for a further 10 days. The must was warmed and fermentation took place with punch downs and pigeage. Half way through the Syrah's fermentation, fresh Viognier juice and lees were added, both to aid colour stability and to add glycerol, perfume and complexity. Following a further maceration of three weeks, the wine was pressed to new and one year old 225 litre French oak barrels.

Powerful aromas of cassis and cigar box are lifted by hints of violet, the palate being full and thick with intense black fruit characters and beautifully integrated oak.