El Escoces Volante, or “The Flying Scotsman,” is the project of Norrel Robertson MW, a Scottish-born Master of Wine who has made Calatayud in Aragon his home and his principal vinous canvas since establishing his project in this historically undervalued region of inland Spain. Robertson’s approach is fundamentally philosophical: a commitment to identifying and farming old vine Garnacha from plots of extraordinary age and character, producing wines that express the ancient viticultural heritage of Aragon’s high-altitude, limestone-dominant terroir without the commercial and stylistic compromises demanded by larger production scales.

El Cismático (The Schismatic) is produced from 100% old-vine Garnacha, sourced from two plots in Armantes in the village of Cervera de la Cañada, planted between 1937 and 1942. These 75- to 80-year-old vines grow on limestone and clay soils at altitude, producing naturally low yields of fruit of exceptional concentration and freshness. The 2016 wine was produced using 20% whole-bunch fermentation in open-top vats with manual punch-downs, aged in used 500-litre French oak barrels to preserve the purity of the old-vine Garnacha fruit without introducing heavy wood flavours. The magnum format is a strong choice for a wine of this ageing ambition.

Norrel Robertson MW’s El Escoces Volante project has attracted significant international critical attention for its demonstration that Calatayud can produce world-class old-vine Garnacha. Recent vintages of El Cismático have earned 96 points from James Suckling (2020 vintage) and 95 from the Wine Advocate (both 2018 and 2020 vintages), though specific approved critic scores for the 2016 vintage were not independently verifiable at time of research. The wine’s trajectory of quality and the critical consensus about the site and winemaking approach make the 2016 magnum a particularly compelling format presentation of one of Spain’s most original wine projects.

Deep ruby with a complex and perfumed nose of wild raspberry, sour cherry, dried herb, iron, blood orange, pepper and the characteristic floral lift of old-vine Garnacha from high-altitude limestone soils. Medium to full-bodied with vibrant natural acidity, chalky mineral tannins and a long, pure and saline finish. An outstanding value proposition for serious Garnacha; best from 2024 through 2038.