El Campeador - Syrah Monastrell 2022
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Item# 97346-22
James Suckling
90pt
Tasting notes
Grown in desert-like conditions, at an altitude of up to 900m, our
ancient bush vines produce deeply-flavored fruit of enviable
richness and aromatic intensity. The time in oak adds hints of
vanilla and mocha to the dark mass of concentrated black fruits.
Wrapped in a smooth and velvety texture, this blend of Syrah and
Monastrell is delicious on its own and makes a great match for
fillet steak, spicy buffalo wings, grilled vegetables and mature
cheeses and all kinds of barbecue.
Description
To guarantee the survival of our ancient vines, our farmers use
the marcottage replanting system: When a vine reaches the end
of its long lifecycle, we take a branch of an adjacent vine and
introduce it to the soil. We then guide the branch so that it
emerges where the dead vine used to be. The branch remains
connected to the origin vine for some years, until its roots are
strong enough to keep growing on its own. This is a vital system,
practically extinct due to its high costs and slow process, that
we use to ensure the continuity of our original and historic vines.
Vineyard
The vineyards are situated around the small town of Jumilla, in
the southern Spanish province of Murcia. Our Syrah vines were
planted at an altitude of between 650m and 700m, while our 110-
year-old Monastrell vineyard sits at around 900m and pre-dates
the great phylloxera attack that devastated the region`s
viticulture in the early 20th century. This world-renowned wineproducing region enjoys year-round sunshine and scant rainfall,
producing miniscule, low-yielding vines that develop intensely
fruit-forward and richly aromatic grapes.
Vinification
The healthiest grapes were picked by hand in early November.
Maceration took place in 250hl temperature-controlled
stainless-steel tanks. Alcoholic and ML fermentation took place
in stainless steel tanks.
Our Syrah was aged for three months in French and American oak
barrels. This adds subtle layers of smooth toasty mocha, while
maintaining optimum freshness of the natural fruit-driven
characteristics of the grapes.
