“The 2012 vintage was extremely dry and the head-pruned, dry-farmed vineyards really suffered, they had no more than 250 liters of rain in the whole growing season. In such dry conditions the Estrecho de la Pipa vineyards at 700 meters altitude behaved better than the Las Quebradas, because of the cooler sandy soils in the former. That allowed them to produce a 2012 Estrecho, selecting the bunches, as any overripe fruit is destined for the production of (a yet to be released) Fondillón. Pepe Mendoza thinks 2012 is riper and warmer, but I feel better freshness here than in 2011; perhaps it’s that they have been simplifying things throughout the years, and they are slowly getting to the essence of the grapes and the places. The wine has a lot less impact from the oak and a lighter structure, fruit of a softer vinification. For comparison's sake I also tasted 2009, a balanced vintage, less ripe than 2012, that is aging nicely in bottle, developing nuances and complexity and more notes from the landscape, rockrose, pine needle, a little minty, aromatic and balsamic with a long life ahead. The next vintage will be 2014 (which I also finally tasted for this article), because in 2013 they had a bad hailstorm and they lost all the grapes from Estrecho; in fact they lost 200,000 kilos of grapes during that vintage!”
— Wine Advocate, Jun 2016

“Bright ruby-red. Potent cherry and black raspberry liqueur aromas are complemented by suggestions of licorice, lavender and exotic spices. Sappy and energetic on the palate, offering alluringly sweet red and dark berry flavors that are energized by a spicy suggestion of white pepper. Shows impressive depth, velvety texture and finishes impressively long and spicy, with harmonious tannins and strong, floral-tinged persistence.”
— Vinous, Apr 2019