Winemaker Notes
-Wine Advocate
Records from 1672 prove that the De Gregorio family has been involved in viticulture and winemaking for several centuries. Miguel Angel de Gregorio, owner and winemaker, graduated from the University of Madrid with degrees in Agricultural Engineering and Enology. The family's estate of 60 acres (25 ha) is in Briones. The vineyards are 1,440 to 1,680 ft. in elevation (480-560m). The vines are planted in calcareous clay and gravel which dates from the quaternary period, located on the 2nd and 3rd terraces of the Ebro River.
The dual expositions of the vineyards result in two distinct microclimates. The vineyards that face north-northwest produce grapes that are higher in acidity and give structure to the wine. The vineyards that face south-southeast produce grapes with ripe fruit aromas.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2001 Allende has a more complex bouquet than the 2000 with briary, dill, orange zest and a touch of limestone that is beautifully composed. The palate is very well-balanced, with juicy dark berry fruit laced with black pepper and balsamic with fine concentration towards the masculine finish. This is probably the finest Allende – up to this point!
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.