Gregorio Martinez, Rioja Tinto Crianza 2014

£15.00 (75cl)

In stock

SKU: SRIMA0114B

About the wine

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Description

100% Tempranillo sourced from “La Dehesilla” parcel, at 700m altitude, north-facing. Vines planted in 1980, 1985 and 1997. Destalking is followed by three weeks fermentation at 22°C in stainless steel vats with regular pumping over. Malolactic fermentation is completed in stainless steel tanks then matured in a mix of French & American oak barrels for 18-20 months followed by 6 months ageing in bottle prior to release.

Tasting note

Picota cherry with a medium high layer, cardinal rim with dense and colored tears on the nose, presents red fruit in season (strawberry pomegranate) and lactic notes (strawberry yogurt), spices (pepper, cloves, cardamom) and black fruit (plum) and cassis. Fleshy mouthfeel, lively tannins, but well rounded in its long aging, notes of red fruit in liquor merge with subtle balsamics, which make it have a very long finish where spicy notes appear.

About the producer

The current winery was constructed in time for the 2001 vintage, with grapes sourced from a 120 hectare estate, 40 hectares of which are under vine. The vineyards are located in the Iregua Valley, between the villages of Nalda, Sorzano and Entrena. Formerly meadows, the magnificent centenary oaks that can be found in the gardens are testament to the microclimate found here, close to the mountain ranges of Moncalvillo and Camero. The soils here are deep and consist predominantly of thick red clay and sedimentary sand, pebbles and sedimentary rock. The founder of the project was Gregorio Martínez, who started to purchase land around Sorzano, his wife’s hometown, in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s.

Currently managed by his descendants, the project changed dramatically following the appointment of head winemaker Ricardo Cantera back in 2009. Recently, they have embarked on making a new range, Finca Gregorio Martínez; which consists of fresh reds and whites as Ricardo likes to work with very low quantities of sulphites. At 700m of altitude and north-oriented, the vineyard suffers under extreme climate conditions. Harvest never starts before the second week of October and in some years it may not finish until November. All grapes are hand-harvested into small crates of 15kg. With up to five different clones grown on the estate, Tempranillo is the dominant grape while Mazuelo (Carignan) and Viura cover around two hectares each. A recently introduced range – Finca Gregorio Martínez includes a clean, vibrant white Viura; a vibrant, pale-coloured rosé made from Tempranillo and a Mazuelo aged in oak for 8 months plus two single-varietal reds crafted from Tempranillo and Mazuelo respectively. Rather unusually the malolactic fermentation takes place in the same tank with skins, resulting in wines that exude a natural freshness, expressing notes of wild herb. It is, in any case, quite a challenge to grow successfully late ripening varieties like Mazuelo in such a cool area.



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