Valdegines 2021

A red wine built on freshness and tension rather than power. The bouquet is already open and expressive right after uncorking: cool red and dark fruit of cherry and plum, along with pepper and a mineral note. Since the 1990s, Artadi has worked to capture the character of individual sites in the bottle; the Valdegines shows this through clear fruit and fine-grained tannin.

The Valdegines site covers four hectares in the municipality of Laguardia, facing east and situated at around 600 metres altitude. The soils are clay-rich and highly calcareous, and the Sierra Cantabria shelters the vineyards of Rioja Alavesa. In 2015 the estate left the DOCa Rioja because its regulations did not permit naming individual vineyards. Winemaking still takes place in Laguardia.

Pure Tempranillo from 35-year-old vines. The grapes are destemmed and fermented spontaneously, with ageing in oak barrels of varying size and age. 14.5% vol., dry.

Remarkably juicy, fresh and full of tension. The body stays slender to medium, the tannins are elegant, the texture velvety. The aromatics carry ripe yet fresh red fruit. The finish is long, with fine-grained tannins that remain clearly present without ever pressing.

Pairs well with Iberico pork cheeks and a potato soup.

The vines are farmed organically, without herbicides or synthetic chemicals, with some plots worked by horse. Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, together with his children Carlos and Patricia, farms nine single vineyards, whose names appear on the labels.