Winemaker Notes
A unique wine produced from Tintilla, a rare and almost-forgotten grape from the Jerez region. This is a wine made in a fresh style that conveys the complexity and beauty of the terroir in this region.
Pair with roast lamb, spicy sausage or charcuterie in a supporting role, this wine would fare well on the table.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red 2022 Vara y Pulgar 100% Tintilla is mostly from purchased grapes from different pagos with 30% from their own vines, the only ones certified organic, in Añina. It fermented in concrete and stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and some full clusters, then it was foot trodden and had a short maceration. It matured for a short time in concrete and oak vat and then in 228- and some 500-liter barrels to complete 18 months. It has some meaty aromas, smoky and spicy, with violets and bacon, hints of anchovies, reminiscent of a Northern Rhône Syrah, with a hint of leather.
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.