Tentenublo Xérico is Roberto Oliván's tribute to the 4 generations of growers Teodoro, Félix, Ignacio, and Roberto who have tended the land of Tentenublo. The label features the faces of his loved ones every year, while the 2019 bottling features the face of his son!
So you understand that this awesome guy behind it, as well as the 92pts from Robert Parker, are good enough reasons to give it a try!
Roberto Oliván belongs to the fourth generation of winemakers in a family of winegrowers who have been growing grapes in Rioja for at least 30 years. His vision was to highlight the traditional terroir quality of DOCa Rioja, with a modern air of freshness and minimal use of cask. It entered the market strongly in 2011, with the revival of the family winery Tentenublo Wines, in the Vinaspre region. There he grows Tempranillo, Garnacha, Viura, and Malvasía varieties, on 100 hectares of family vineyards, divided into 30 small parcels in the village of Viñaspre, in the north of Spain. At the steep foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria, the altitude reaches 700 meters and the climatic difference between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean creates extreme weather conditions. The name Tentenublo is the traditional word for the ringing of the bells that were used to drive away hailstorms during the grape ripening period.
Tentenublo Xérico is produced from grapes from different plots, aged 15 to 50 years, at an altitude of 550-700 meters. It is organically grown and the blend consists of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Viura. Roberto Oliván, always adds to the red wines, a percentage of white variety to take off the aromas and the palate! The vines have limestone soil, but the combination of very dry summer and very cool winter, introduces the concept of dry moisture, or Xeric Torriortent, that is Xérico!
Set foot here now... The grapes (20% whole bunches) are traditionally pressed by foot and the fermentation for each parcel is done with natural yeasts separately, to capture each terroir very specifically. Concrete and stainless steel tanks of different sizes are used, and after malolactic fermentation, aging follows for 7 months. In the end, they are all mixed together in a large concrete tank, where they stay there for 2 months before bottling.
The result; An explosion of aromas of violet flowers, blackberry, and ripe crimson cherries. This wine has the freshness of the young but also gives you the warmth of the familiar, rustic, and traditional! Its complexity will create an obsession for you!
You definately want to drink it with the beef steak, the assortment of sausages, and the pan-fried liver, so grab it now because it will be again sold out soon!
