Bernabeleva Arroyo del Tortolas 2012
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Arroyo del Tórtolas is one of their single-vineyard reds, in this case it’s a north facing-slope of 1.25 hectares, planted with 2,200 plants per hectare that are 65 years old. The soil is quite thin and poor, rich in granite. Fermentation is carried out in oak tinas (vats), with stems, but on a higher or lower proportion depending on the vintage, and foot trodden. Malolactic fermentation is in used barriques of different sizes (from 225 to 600 liters) made of French oak where the wine ages for one year. This is the plot of vines that gets more complete ripeness, the nose is very sharp and focused, with notes of good ripeness, some pine cone traces, red berries, flowers and dry herbs. The palate is really supple, straight, vertical, with very good acidity (this is harvested earlier than other plots, as the grapes ripen earlier which somehow provides for better acidity) with fine, velvety and elegant tannins. This is a great expression of Garnacha and, even though it's not cheap, it still represents good value. Bravo!
The logo represents the goddess of hunt, to whom, in ancient times, sacred forests were dedicated. In pre Roman cultures, consecration of a forest to this deity was signaled on tree barks or on something more imperishable like stone. Bernabeleva, literally, means the path of the bear, where the bear lives, or next to the bear. There are two primary inspirations in the design of the logo: the nearby Toros de Guisando (which maybe bears, bulls or boars); an old photo of Luisa, the doctor’s daughter, mimicking the myth of Europa and Zeus.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.