The top of the range is the 2013 1237, a blend of Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera and Cabernet Sauvignon from the oldest vines in the Valle de Sierra Salinas. The grapes fermented in new 500-liter oak barrels, where it also underwent malolactic fermentation and 21 months of aging. It's a ripe, heady and powerful Mediterranean blend with 16% alcohol, a real bruiser, dark, almost opaque black with a nose of black olives and prunes, intensely minty and heady. The palate is huge, full-bodied, dense and powerful with a noticeably warm finish. For the days you feel like an XXL red to go with your T-Rex T-bone. 2,000 bottles were filled in May 2015.

The top of the range, dark, almost black and opaque 2012 1237 is a blend of Garnacha Tintorera, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell from selected plots within the estate vineyards. The grapes were cooled down and then put to ferment into new 500-liter oak barrels where the wine also went through malolactic fermentation and 21 months of aging. There are plenty of aromas of creamy oak, espresso coffee and dark chocolate, mostly wood-derived. The palate seems to have lots of fruit sweetness and feels round and ripe. This is the prototype of a generously oaked, ripe and larger-than-life fruit bomb with 16% alcohol. In its style it's quite good, but you have to be a fan of the style. The bottle says it all XXL. 2,035 bottles were filled in May 2015.

Quite a jump up in price, the 2010 Salinas 1237 is a blend of old-vine Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tintorera and Petit Verdot that fermented in new 500-liter French oak barrels where the wine went through malolactic and 21-month aging. It has an aromatic, exuberant profile that is very perfumed and shows notes of flowers and ripe berries with some herbal, balsamic hints and a more developed, complex personality that mixes strawberry and hoisin sauce notes. It is exotic and different, rather showy, but difficult to locate in a map of the world. The palate is rather full-bodied, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins plus good concentration and power. This bodybuilder of a wine with a shiny personality is in need of hearty food, like the winter stews or red meat. Beware of the heavy bottle. Only 3,000 were produced.

The 2008 Salinas 1237, from a relatively cool vintage, is a different animal altogether. This is a blend of old-vine Garnacha Tintorera, Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a cold pre-fermentative maceration, a maceration of 25 days and aged in new French oak barrels for 21 months. It’s very dark, opaque cherry-colored, and has a smoky nose with notes of cured meat and a modern profile. It wears its 15% alcohol with elegance and balance. It’s long and supple. A powerful wine that requires red meat or a powerful stew on a cold winter day to balance the abundant tannins it has. It still needs some time to absorb the oak, which after all these years is a bit worrying, but it then should provide pleasure for some years. Drink 2015-2020. Created in 2000 by the Castano family from Yecla, who fell in love with the scenery and the old vines they found in the village of Villena, Alicante, not very far from Yecla at all. They own 52 hectares of dry-farmed Monastrell and some Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot planted at 700 meters above sea level. They now produce 350,000 bottles of wine from Alicante. Importer: European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565, www.europeancellars.com

The 1237 is 50% Garnacha Tintorera and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Purple/black-colored, the nose offers up wood smoke, toasty oak, crushed stone, violets, black cherry, black raspberry, and black currants. Plush, layered, and focused, the wine is intense, concentrated, and well-balanced. It has enough stuffing to evolve for several years but can be enjoyed now. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565