This Son Negre is the flagship wine of this small Mallorcan estate. It’s world-famous, not least because of its label: every year, renowned Spanish artist Miquel Barceló creates a unique design for this wine. It represents the purest expression of the Callet grape. Son Negre is also the name of a small hamlet where Ànima Negra owns three of its finest vineyard plots, reserved exclusively for this cuvée.
The wine is made from the estate’s oldest Callet vines, which yield as little as 500 grams per vine. The vineyards benefit from outstanding ventilation thanks to constant Mediterranean winds. The soils are extremely poor, mineral-rich, and very dry.
Son Negre is only produced in exceptional vintages — years with true character. The two most recent are 2016 and 2022. A cult wine for collectors!
Vinification
The grapes are hand-harvested in small 10 kg crates. A first selection takes place in the vineyard, followed by a second on the sorting table. After harvest, the grapes are stored overnight in cold rooms at 8 to 10°C to initiate a slow maceration and fermentation process, allowing the wine to fully express its fruit character. The selected grapes are then transferred by gravity into French oak barrels, where fermentation begins at a controlled temperature with native yeasts. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new French barriques, where the wine also ages for 16 months. After blending, the wine rests for another two months in concrete tanks before bottling.
Storage potential
Drink as from: 2026
Best moment: 2032-2037
Until: 2042
To serve
18°C. Serve in a burgundy glass. Decant in its first eight years of life.
Trial analysis
An unusual nose: typical Mediterranean herbal character with a hint of oak still present. With some air and swirling, the bouquet evolves into remarkable complexity — liquorice, garrigue, thyme, rosemary, animal notes and leather, all backed by an abundance of fruit. A nose that continues to open and reveal ever more finesse. Structurally superb: powerful and muscular, yet undeniably elegant. A true athlete, with a long and layered finish. A wine of great class, with perfectly polished tannins. A textbook example of power wrapped in refinement. And as the final flourish, the 2022 vintage brings extraordinary depth, lifted by exceptionally fine acidity that gives the wine a true Haute Couture sensation on the palate. 2022 stands as one of the finest vintages ever vinified at Son Negre.
Flavor profile
Wood
None
Aged in wood barrels
Heavily aged in wood barrels
Acidity
Low acidity
Balanced
High acidity
Fruitiness
Low fruitiness
Balanced
High fruitiness
Structure
Elegant
Balanced
Full-bodied