Gregorio Martinez, Rioja Tinto Gran Reserva 2014

£23.00 (75cl)

In stock

SKU: SRIMA0314B

About the wine

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Description

100% Tempranillo sourced from “La Dehesilla” parcel, at 700m altitude, north-facing. Vines planted in 1980 and 1985. Destalking is followed by a traditional maceration-fermentation in stainless steel vats for three weeks with daily pumping over. Once the malolactic fermentation has finished, the wine is aged in French and American oak barrels for 3 years, with a minimum of 10 years in bottle prior to release.

Tasting note

Medium intense cherry red hue with ruby red rim, clean and bright. The nose is redolent of sweet red fruit, subtle balsamic hints and touches of hardwood (cedar), tobacco and spices (cardamom, cinnamon); a certain earthiness appears with oxygenation, without ever losing its freshness and depth. In the mouth it is fresh with silky and velvety tannins which give way to intense red fruit; it is long, with an incredibly persistent aftertaste reminiscent of spicy red fruit.

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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