Winemaker Notes
The inimitable Viña El Pisón produces a wine which is a reflection of the competence of our ancestors and the passion of those who want to keep the spirit of a vineyard alive.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
What a fine, complex nose here, with dried herbs, blue and black berries and nuances of dark chocolate, mineral and hints of cigar box. Also scented with some violet and black pepper. This is rich and dense yet concentrated. Immaculately tight tannins with a powdery texture seep through from the entry to the end. Very long and glossy yet mineral and discreet. Tempranillo. From organically grown grapes. Will age gracefully. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The bottled version of the 2019 Viña El Pisón shows the ripeness (14.64% alcohol) and mellow acidity of the vintage, coming through as soft and gentle. The vines from this iconic 2.4-hectare plot planted in Laguardia in 1945 had a soft vinification with gentle extraction in oak vats and matured in barrique for nine months. It has a combination of wild berries, herbs and spices, fennel and licorice and still a creamy touch. This is always austere early on, and you have to sense the mouthfeel, agile, long and complex, that denotes a great wine. It has very good persistence, focused, clean, defined and pure. It has both power and elegance and very fine tannins, and all of it with subtleness. It should develop nicely in bottle. Best After 2022
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.