San Vicente Tempranillo 2002

COMPOSITION: 100% Tempranillo Peludo. Estate bottled. Single vineyard.

91 Points - "A single vineyard Rioja made from 100% Tempranillo, the stunning 2002 San Vicente was aged 20 months in primarily new French oak (a small amount of American wood was also used), and bottled unfiltered. This Pomerol-styled Spanish red offers succulent, mocha, black cherry, chocolate, and toasty oak aromas as well as wonderful intensity, medium to full body, silky tannin, and a long, heady finish. Drink this amazing 2002 over the next 4-5 years." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Señorio de San Vicente represents the dream of the Eguren family (Numanthia, Sierra Cantabria, El Puntido, Codice, etc.) It is a long-term project which started with the planting of the vineyard in the early '80s, and finished with the building of the winery stone-by-stone. This is a historic winery because it the first one to bottle this clone of Tempranillo (“Peludo”) by itself, and it may be the first winery in Rioja to use the concept of high density planting.

The grapes for this wine come from Finca La Canoca, a proprietary vineyard, 18 Ha (44.5 acres) of high density vines plantation on trellis and organically fertilized, in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, La Rioja. The soils are of calcareous clay composition. Careful hand harvesting and additional selection made in the winery using a sorting table.

The wine undergoes 30 days maceration with two pump-overs daily during the first 10 days and a light pump-over every two days after that. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aged 20 months in new Bordelaise barrels that are 20% American, and 80% French oak with racking every four months. The wine is egg-white fined and bottled unfiltered.

Production: 750 cases for the U.S.