El Vinculo Crianza 2013

Description

The Fernández Rivera family’s fourth winery, El Vínculo, sits nearby the iconic Campo de Criptana windmills in the northern part of the D.O. La Mancha and is a tribute to and a continuity of the winemaking tradition of the Fernández Rivera family. The name El Vínculo, meaning “union” or “link,” symbolizes both the connection that the winery forms between the two Castile regions (Castilla La Mancha and Castilla y León) and a commemoration of the namesake wine cellar owned by the grandparents of the family company's newest generation.

After traveling the length and breadth of La Mancha, in 1999, the Fernández Rivera family found something that greatly appealed: high-quality, old Tempranillo vines, perfectly adapted to local conditions. Convinced that the quality potential was immense as long as yield and selection were carefully controlled, they surprised local growers by insisting on a new way of working the La Mancha vineyards. By sourcing fruit through long-term contracts with growers focused on low yields and precise harvesting, the family ensures first-rate La Mancha grapes give rise year after year to fine wines with unparalleled wine aromas and flavors.

Tasting notes

This pretty wine has a black cherry color with a violet rim. Clean and bright. Elegant on the nose with black fruit notes such as blackberries and blueberries coming to the fore with liquorice, the characteristic expression of the Tempranillo grape. Notes of vanilla also come through thanks to the wine’s 18 months’ ageing in American oak barrels. Nice volume on the entry to the palate with ripe tannins, a round mouth-feel together with a very good length of flavour revealing hints of black fruit, some spice and vanilla. Pair with barbecued red meats, small game, such as partridge, duck or rabbit.

Estate

The Fernández Rivera family has always lived surrounded by vineyards and each member has a deep respect, love and pride for the wine from their native soil, Ribera del Duero. From the moment a young and determined Alejandro Fernández and Esperanza Rivera bought a small winery, the family has been linked to a lifelong passion passed through the generations. Propelled by the conviction that wines of superb quality could once again be made in their hometown, they went against the movement of the time, when cereal and beetroot dominated the landscape, and planted Tempranillo vineyards in Pesquera de Duero. In 1972, in a modest 16th century stone llagar, or ancient wine press, the family began to produce the first Tinto Pesquera wines.

Vineyard

DESCRIPTION: Located at an altitude of 650 to 750 metres in semi- open plain landscape descending north to south with a southern exposure.
SURFACE AREA: 52 hectares (128 acres).
AGE: 50 years.
SOIL: A mix of sand and clay throughout the whole of the vineyard.

Vinification

Lying in the warmest region of the four Fernández estates, the grapes at El Vínculoare the first to be harvested. Each of the leased vineyard blocks are manually harvested towards the beginning of September and are vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation takes place between 6-10 days at an average temperature of 20-25°C. The ElVínculoCrianza is aged for 18 months in fine grain, 225-and 300-liter neutral American oak barrels with a light-to-medium toast. Barrels are racked four times during the first twelve months of aging and an additional 2-3 times before bottling. With the Fernández family dedicated to natural winemaking, all wines produced by the Fernández family are neither filtered nor fined before bottling and some sediment may be found in each bottle, which does not affect the quality of the wine. Upon completion of barrel aging, the El Vínculo Crianza is aged for a minimum of six months in bottle before it is released.

Vintage

The winter began with low temperatures; however, as from February a weather pattern set in which would continue throughout the rest of the year: spring temperatures well above average, spells of extreme heat in summer and a very warm autumn.As for rainfall, this was a very dry year, with around half of the average precipitation.These mild conditions led to a very early bud-break, while subsequent vine vegetation growth was sluggish because of the low water reserves in the soils. This resulted in small vines with few roots, as well as small grape berries. This consequently had a positive influence on the ripening process. The vine cycle continued well ahead of schedule and led to a very early harvest which produced a small crop that was ranked as excellent in quality.