Sínodo Raposeras 2014

I was introduced to Juan Antonio Blanco by Jorge Muga at a viticulture meeting at Remelluri and tasted his first wine, the 2014 Sínodo Raposeras. I was pleasantly impressed with what I found in my glass. I pursued further information from Blanco, whose day job is as vineyard consultant for a number of wineries, to find that it's the first release from a small project with other two classmates from university. It is a pure Tempranillo from a plot of vines planted in 1916 by the great grandfather of one of the three friends, in the Raposeras quarter in the village of Uruñuela, between Nájera and Cenicero, on limestone-rich soils. They wanted to produce a completely hand-crafted wine, something difficult to achieve at large scale. They hand harvested the bunches in boxes and hand destemmed the grapes. All the movements were done by gravity without using any pumps. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in two French barriques, where it underwent malolactic and rested for some 11 months in contact with the lees. The nose shows some vinous notes, a little rustic in a way that reminded me of the wines from yesteryear, with good ripeness but a leafy touch and unnoticeable oak, quite fruit-driven. The palate is juicy and very tasty, with very fine tannins and an earthy touch. It is clean, showing focused flavors and with good freshness balancing a warm finish. This is a very pleasant, honest wine that I love for its authenticity. I guess scarcity drives prices up. 609 bottles were filled in August 2015.