The 2013 Mosyca is always a more accessible and gentle wine than the pure Monastrell Alfynal. Here, the blend of this second wine was higher in Monastrell, with 55%, and a little lower in Syrah, 30% compared with the previous year, and complemented with Cabernet Sauvignon. The vinification and élevage is as classical as it gets, fermentation of the destemmed grapes and aging of 12 months in 225- and 400-liter oak barrels. 2013 was a cooler vintage, and there is contained ripeness in the fruit, still black and with some sweetish hints. The palate is soft and lush, with glossy tannins and a gentle mouthfeel. 15,300 bottles produced.

The 2012 Mosyca is the second wine in the Bordeaux sense, a blend of 45% Monastrell, 40% Syrah and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from a dry and warm vintage that was saved by some rain at the end of September. This produced powerful and concentrated wines. However, the nose feels quite balanced, without excess, mixing berry fruit and dark spices. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with fine tannins, a polished, sleek texture and good balance, with a slightly bitter finish. Approachable and nicely crafted. 11,000 bottles were filled in October 2014 after having spent one year in barrique.

The blended wine from a dry and warm year is the 2011 Mosyca, produced with Monastrell, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes from different plots on poor soils planted with vines ranging from 15 to 50 years of age. After a traditional fermentation in stainless steel, the wine aged for one year in 225- and 400-liter French oak barrels (20% new) with periodical rackings. It's a rather jovial Mediterranean blend with aromas of fountain pen ink, a touch of leather, cured meat, black pepper and prunes and damsons. There is a faint animal hint. The palate is quite polished with good-quality, polished tannins, good balance and concentration of flavors that bring back the sensations found in the nose and a long finish. 12,840 bottles were produced.

The 2010 Mosyca is a blend of 40% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, 20% Cabernet and 20% Petit Verdot aged for 12 months in oak barrels (20% of which are new), a Mediterranean blend lifted by the Bordeaux grapes, with fine tannins, a little spiky maybe, good persistence, ripe fruit, balanced, wood well-integrated, and a long, persistent finish. Spicy, round and serious. The French grapes tend to overpower the aromas as the wine develops in the glass. A cerebral, solid blend. Drink 2014-2018. As the name points out, this is a new project from ex-Cos d’Estournel, Bruno Prats. As Prats told me when I had the chance to meet him in Alicante a few weeks ago, he had had a fixation with Monastrell since he was studying oenology at Montpellier in 1967, where he used to listen to Professor Jean Brana rave about the quality and potential of the old Monastrell vineyards of Alicante, where the variety originates. He had looked into possibilities before, but in 2008 he returned to Alicante searching for space for his boat. At the same time, young French winemaker Stephane Point, who had been working in the Chryseia project in Portugal, was ready to move to a Spanish-speaking country. The two joined forces and Point moved to Alicante with his family to produce the wines in early 2009. They hired some space in a winery, brought their own equipment there and managed to make 15,000 bottles of wine in the 2009 vintage. They do not own any vineyards, but source grapes from different suppliers. The grapes are destalked after passing through a selection table, and everything, grapes, must and wine are moved exclusively by gravity. Fermentation is by plot, in small stainless steel tanks with temperature control, and the upbringing is mostly in used 400-liter French oak barrels for 12 to 14 months. The name of the grand vin, (as a good Bordeaux guy he also has a second wine) Alfynal, is a promise to his wife that this would be his final project, as he’s already in joint-ventures in Chile, Portugal and South Africa. I found the 2010s very compact and assembled, especially for Mosyca. 2010 was more Mediterranean for Stephane, everything was easier, and the assemblage works well with the four grapes. Importer: HP Selection LLC, New York, NY; no telephone number available.