Es Fangar 2017

I first met Daniel Morales, the winemaker at Es Fangar, in September 2015 and spent an enjoyable afternoon visiting the estate and bodega near Felanitx in Mallorca. Daniel contacted me recently to ascertain whether I might be interested in tasting his latest vintages.

As luck would have it, I had just booked a short break to Mallorca so I asked Daniel if he might deliver the wines to my hotel so that I could taste them whilst on the island.

Below are my notes for all of the wines which were opened and tasted in Palma de Mallorca on 21 February 2017.

Sa Fita 2015 Blanc 14%

69% Chardonnay, 3% Viognier, 6% Giró Ros, 22% Moscatel

Sa Fita combines freshness, Mediterranean style, density and complexity.

This wine is clear, bright and pale gold.

On the nose, it is clean and pronounced with white flowers, fresh lemons and limes, white peach, fresh apricot, pineapple and a splash of cream.

It is dry with medium (+) zesty acidity, medium (+) bodied with a medium (+) finish. Full of ripe citrus, melon, guava, white peach and a hint of honey; alcohol is warming but well integrated. The finish is ripe citrus, green pear and just a touch of fresh pineapple.

Additional comments: Compared to the last vintage, I believe this wine is displaying more ripe citrus and less stone fruit, however, the stone fruit comes through with time in the glass.

Lo Cortinel-Lo 2015 Blanc 14.5%

47% Giró Ros, 28% Chardonnay, 25% Viognier

Lo Cortinel-Lo is the product of grapes grown in a small warm valley.

This wine is clear, bright and medium gold.

On the nose, it is clean and pronounced with rich caramel, honey, butterscotch, vanilla, peach and pineapple.

It is dry with medium acidity, medium (+) bodied with a long finish. This is very exotic; bursting with ripe stone and tropical fruit; overripe banana, kiwi, peaches, mangos, pineapple and guava. With fresh acidity and good minerality, it has hints of almond, creamy toffee and caramel. In comparison to Sa Fita, it has a slightly more oily texture, a fuller body, is more complex and has a longer finish.

Additional comments: The alcohol feels higher in this wine than the previous vintage and the tropical fruits become even more aromatic as the wine opens up.

Fangar Elements 2012 14%

30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Callet, 20% Merlot, 10% Syrah, 10% Manto Negro

With Elements, Daniel aims to make a wine which is powerful, fruity and complex.

This wine is clear, bright and deep ruby red.

On the nose, it is clean and pronounced with an excellent concentration of cooked black fruit; blackcurrants, cassis, black plums, black cherries, some wild bramble, violet perfume, a dash of black pepper and a hint of smoke.

It is dry with medium (+) acidity, full bodied with a long finish. Tannins are medium (+) soft and ripe providing good structure. It is rich, mouth-filling and jammy with a hint of garrigue, heather, leather and tar. This is a complex wine which needs time to develop fully. Alcohol is warming but appears to lessen with time.

Additional comments: Powerful and intense, I believe this wine will improve further in bottle.

N’Amarat 2011 14.5%

34% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Callet

N’Amarat is all about elegance.

This wine is clear, bright and dark ruby.

On the nose, it is clean and pronounced with tertiary aromas dominating; cigar box, tobacco, leather, clove and cinnamon. With rich black fruit and black pepper, this wine has an incredibly complex nose.

It is dry with medium (+) acidity, full bodied with an extremely long finish. Rich and elegant with velvety super smooth tannins. Flavours of dark chocolate, black truffle and liquorice combine with black plums, blackcurrants, blueberries and a hint of balsamic. This wine has tertiary flavours of leather, tar, liquorice, cocoa, dark chocolate and sweet spice on the finish. It is woody and smoky and incredibly complex; this needs time to fully express itself.

Additional comments: An explosion of fruit enveloped in soft silky fine-grained tannins, with aromas of blueberry pie and smoke. Not for the feint-hearted!

All fabulous wines and I think that all benefit from some form of decanting before being served to enable them to express their full range of flavours. I expect both reds to continue to evolve and develop additional aromas and flavours over the next 5-10 years. In terms of food matching, Sa Fita is comfortably at home as an aperitif and a match for fish and white meat. Lo Cortinel-Lo is a food wine and can handle rich sauces and cheese dishes. Elements is an ideal partner for a juicy steak and N’Amarat works well with strong, blue cheese and red meat.

I would like to express my thanks to Daniel for giving me the opportunity to sample the latest offerings from Es Fangar. It is always a pleasure to taste such fabulous wines!