Marques de Riscal Tempranillo 2001

Marqués de Riscal, pioneer in the production of top quality wines in Rioja and Rueda, sets out on a new venture, making a highly expressive red wine outside the Rioja D.O. This wine has been created in a concept of freedom of elaboration from a careful selection of the best properties and vines of the Tempranillo variety from the gravelly soils of alluvial vineyards in the Duero region. This variety produces very aromatic wines full of body and colour, well structured, fresh and intense. During the harvest, decided by the technical department at Riscal, only the fully ripe tempranillo grapes, which have had good sunlight exposure are accepted, collected in boxes of 18 kgs. maximum capacity so as to avoid any crushing of the fruit. A venture upon which Riscal embarks with the same sense of quality as in its Rueda and Rioja wines, for which it can look to the prestigious advice of Paul Pontallier, technical director at Château Margaux and Guy Guimberteau, of the Bordeaux Institute of Oenology, two eminent figures in French winemaking.

The 1999 vintage was characterised by an unusually dry autumn and winter with numerous frosts in both seasons. As a result, budbreak was later than normal in recent years. There were no spring frosts to reduce the harvest and heavy rain in the months of April, May and June. Completely dry summer with a little rainfall in September at harvest time.

Made using grapes from the best properties and vines of the Tempranillo variety from the gravelly soils of alluvial vineyards in the Duero region, this wine displays a violet red colour with no yellowish hues. Fruity aromas with hints of roses and bitter almond. The fragrance of roses emerges in the glass when the wine is still and the aromas of almond are revealed on agitation. Soft on the palate with a slight touch of acidity on the initial impression which passes to a final fixation of tannin on the edges of the tongue. Fermentation controlled at 24ºC. The wine is aged for 5 months in American oak barrels.