Ixsir El Ixsir 2013

The 2013 EL red is a blend of 55% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, aged for 24 months in an equal mixture of new and used French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. You might think, given the grander bottle and the heftier price, that this would be the winery's blockbuster. The high-altitude terroir, though, doesn't lend itself quite so easily to this. Most of the grapes here come from Ainata Vineyard at 1,800 meters in altitude, with some coming from the winery's second highest site at 1,300 meters. Underneath the wood, this has a cooler feel, elegance, mid-palate finesse and dried fruit laced with the ever-present Syrah nuances. "Underneath the wood," though, is the key issue here. This is pretty well drenched in wood, cream and vanilla. It rolls over the wine and obscures the fruit far too much just now. The question becomes: Will this improve and get better? I think it will, but it is painfully unevolved at the moment. Let's be a bit conservative, sock this away for a while, and see where we are in time. It is certainly a fresh and graceful offering that has upside potential.