A magnificent vintage, with wines that stand out above all for their depth and persistence. The budding of the vine took place on the usual dates, with a spring with moderate precipitation and well distributed throughout the vegetative cycle. Despite the drought and high summer temperatures, the wines of this vintage also benefit from a great balance between acidity and alcohol content, as well as great intensity and aromatic quality and excellent tannin maturity, which gives them softness and roundness in the mouth.
The Tempranillo (80%) comes from our La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, over 30 years old and with predominantly clay-limestone soils, in Fuenmayor and Cenicero. The Garnacha grapes (20%) come from La Pedriza in Tudelilla, a 70 ha vineyard located in eastern Rioja at an altitude of 550 m, with deep pebble soils and unbeatable conditions for the cultivation of this variety. We start to harvest these plots at the end of September. After being harvested by hand, the bunches are placed in 20 kg crates and transported refrigerated to the cellar. After passing through the optical selection tables, only perfectly ripe grapes were used in the blending of the wine. Once the fermentations were finished, the selected wines were transferred to barrels in February 2017 and matured separately: Tempranillo for 36 months, with six manual rackings and in 4-year-old American oak, and Garnacha for 30 months, with 5 manual rackings , in barrels of 2 and 3 wines. Bottled in June 2020.
Accompaniment: Main dishes, all types of meats and stews and desserts with chocolate filling. Ideal as an after-dinner drink.
Tasting Notes: Intense garnet red color, with a clean edge. On the nose, it stands out for its great aromatic intensity, with spicy and balsamic notes of licorice, clove, nutmeg and black pepper, enveloping a subtle reminder of ripe red fruits: liqueur cherry and jam. raspberries. The palate is well balanced, fresh, with a wide range of flavors and soft, round tannins, which give way to a spicy, balsamic aftertaste on the finish. A Viña Ardanza in full bloom and with a long life ahead of it.