Castillo Perelada Don Miguel Mateu 1973 Reserva

Wine: Castillo Perelada Don Miguel Mateu 1973 Reserva

Winery: Castillo Perelada (Perelada, Girona)
Appellation / Region: Vino de Mesa Tinto (Empordà-Costa Brava, Spain)
Varietals: Primarily Garnacha Tinta and Cariñena, with a small contribution of Monastrell.
ABV: [Not specified]
Winemaking

Grapes sourced from estate-owned vineyards. The wine spent 6 to 8 months in oak vats for fermentation and settling before racking. It was aged in second-fill 225-liter American oak barrels for 36 to 48 months, depending on the vintage. A minimum of 2 years of bottle aging in the winery’s cellars was completed prior to release.

 

Tasting Notes:
 

Appearance: Very pale, brownish-ruby with medium-low depth (capa); luminous, bright, and translucent. It displays orange and amber highlights with a broad, tawny (tile-red) rim that merges seamlessly with the meniscus.

 

Nose: Upon opening, dominant notes of wine-soaked oak emerge, alongside a subtle oxidative and liqueur-like trail reminiscent of Maraschino cherries, Ratafia, and cherries in brandy. Intense and communicative, it becomes increasingly creamy, revealing vanilla, pastry cream, nuts, and toasted cocoa. A background of aromatic herbs provides a distinct Mediterranean character. Pleasant, sound, and above all: unique.

 

Palate: Bone-dry and slightly bitter on the palate, with a total dominance of fine wood and a more than acceptable citrus-driven acidity (orange zest). It leaves a trace of sweetness that was not initially apparent. Fully alive. This is one of Castillo Perelada’s historic labels that for years set the benchmark for quality in the region. A wine ahead of its time, from an era when over 80% of the bottlings in the Empordà-Costa Brava area were young rosés. Time has proven that fine, lively reds with bottle-aging potential could indeed be crafted here. It should not be confused with the current Don Miguel Mateu, which is a completely different wine focused on Bordeaux varieties.

 

Personal Score: 87
Tasting Group Score: 88