Tentenublo Rioja Xerico 2018

Tentenublo 2018 Rioja “Xérico” Tinto
Region: Rioja (Rioja Alavesa)
Village: Viñaspre
Agriculture: Organic
Soils: Calcareous
Varieties: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Viura
Harvest: 29 September - 25 October
Vinification: Fermented by parcel with native yeasts in concrete tanks
with 20% whole clusters, short macerations, light punchdowns; MLF
and aging in concrete tank for 9 months (18mg/L TOTAL SO2)

Xérico is an old-fashioned style of light and refreshing young red Rioja, made in homage to the the four generations of growers who have cared for Tentenublo’s land: Teodoro, Félix, Ignacio, and Roberto.

85% Tempranillo and 15% Viura from 15-50 year-old, head-trained vines planted at 550-700 meters altitude on eroded slopes of calcareous marls ( Xeric Torriorthent soil type, hence ‘Xérico’) in four vineyards: El Pedrón, La Entrada, Majadonda, La Fuente Colas.

Grapes from each parcel are foot-trodden, fermented parcel-by-parcel in concrete tanks with an average of 20% whole clusters, and macerated for 10-12 days with gentle punch-downs. Each tank of wine is pressed and aged individually in concrete tank for 7 months. The wines are then blended in a large concrete tank and allowed to harmonize for two months before bottling.

For wine lovers reared on the mature, long-aged Riojas that dominate both the commercial market and popular understanding of the category, Tentenublo's take on Rioja feels rebellious. Returning the focus to the soil, vinifying red and white grapes together by parcel and terroir, and bottling taut, energetic wines in place of the famous oxygen and oak-inflected blends that embody Rioja's style today presents a sizable risk to a small family winery. These are unique and personal wines that channel the energy and history of the land into long, laser-focused wines full of bright fruit, fresh earth, and pulsating mineral power.