2020 Mary Taylor Wines "Rus Jimenez" Manchuela

The 2020 Manchuela from Rus Jimenez (and selected by Mary Taylor) is crafted from the Moravia Agria grape, which I have never previously had the pleasure to taste. The wine is made from forty-five year-old vines, fermented with native yeasts and raised in stainless steel. The 2020 version offers up a deep and complex, black fruity bouquet of cassis, dark berries, tree bark, coffee bean, dark soil tones, a touch of sweet botanicals and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with fine soil signature and grip, tangy acids, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced and nicely soil-driven finish that closes with a note of bitter cherry. I have never drunk a wine from Manchuela before and find its style quite compelling, with some similarities to Canary Islands red wines, but with a bit more black fruity personality and warm weather character. This is an excellent wine and a ridiculously good value! 2023-2040.