- Diversification and re-creation in Rioja and Jerez
- New, emergent wine regions dislodging former leading lights
- Grape varieties other than Tempranillo competing in the market place
- An impressive range and quality of white wines
- An emphasis on authenticity, freshness, and balance
- Organic and biodynamic vineyards.
The Vineyard
Bodegas Mustiguillo Finca Terrerazo is made from Bobol grapes sourced from El Terrarazo, the estate's single-vineyard site. El Terrarazo was granted Vino de Pago status -- the highest level in the Spanish appellation system -- in 2010.
Spanish wine appellation system (Source:https://www.winescholarguild.org/) |
Vino de Pago requirements are as follows:
- The site must be a single vineyard
- The vineyard must be owned by the estate producing the wine
- The vineyard must fall within a registered DO
- The vineyard must demonstrate unique characteristics that make it worthy of accessing that status
As would be expected of a "vanguard-wine" estate, Bodegas Mustiguillo ticks a number of boxes in terms of the Spanish wine trends identified by Pedro Ballesteros Torres:
- New emergent wine region (Utiel-Requena)
- Grape varieties beyond Tempranillo (Bobol)
- Organic and biodynamic vineyards (Organic)
- Winemaking emphasis on authenticity, freshness and balance (Bobol; move away from American oak in earlier vintages to French oak for more recent ones).
The Bobal Cultivar
Bobal is a red variety indigenous to the Utiel-Requena region of Valencia. It is the second most planted red grape variety in Spain and, while traditionally used as a bulk wine, has recently been gaining serious attention as the basis for quality wines.
The vine is vigorous and productive, with long, trailing shoots which are normally trained as a low bush. Being of the region, it is resistant to extremes of weather and disease.
The branches are medium-large and compact with an angular cone shape. The must is high in colorant, tannins, and polyphenols while the finished wine tends to be fruity, low in alcohol, and high in acid.
Winemaking and the Wine
The grapes are hand-harvested and placed into 15-kg boxes (The first-order selection occurs here). The selected grapes are transported to the cellar where they are de-stemmed and sorted prior to a gentle crushing. Wines from each parcel are fermented in separate 35 Hl or 50 Hl French oak tanks using house yeasts. Fermentation -- with gentle punch-downs -- occurs over a 9-day period followed by an 11-day post-fermentation maceration, followed, in turn, by a 5 - 8 week malolactic fermentation with batonnage.
The wine is aged for 14 months in a mix of small (225 L and 550 L) and large (30 Hl and 50 Hl) French oak barrels after which they are blended and bottled without stabilization or filtration.
Notes: Waxy, red fruit, perfumed, and a resin character on the nose. Black/red fruit on the palate. Flat and non-complex. Soft tannins.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme
No comments:
Post a Comment