I tasted three vintages of the pink clarete, starting with the 2017 Pícaro del Águila Clarete. It was produced with a field blend of red and white grapes, approximately 35% Tempranillo, 35% Albillo Mayor and the rest a mixture of many different varieties (Garnacha, Bobal, Bruñal, Monastrell, Tempranillo Gris, other Albillos, Garnacha Blanca, Pirules, Jaén, Moscatel, Malvasías...) from different old vines in the village of La Aguilera. It’s a wine with aromas of a white and the soul of a red, really different from a rosé. It fermented slowly in oak casks for eight to nine months in a very cold underground cave and matured in cask for some 23 months. Despite the warm and low-yielding year (2017 was a year of terrible spring frost in the region), the wine keeps a moderate alcohol and very healthy pH. This has already developed the beautiful spicy perfume that makes me think of the rosé from López de Heredia. The 2017 is open and seems to have developed a little faster. The wine is balanced and tasty, without the chalky and fresh sensation of the 2019, perhaps a little like the 2012 (the first vintage released). Even if this is developing a little faster, the color is very stable. Even a vintage like this should drink well for a decade. 9,676 bottles and 12 magnums were filled in September 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPOrange-pink color. Aromas of sour cherries, orange zest, dried lemon and salted almonds. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and phenolic texture. Concentrated, smoky and toasted layers. Interestingly firm and oaky for a rosé. More like a light red. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS
