VINOUS 95 POINTS - "The 2019 San Vicente is 100% Tempranillo Peludo, a variety distinguished by its velvety leaves. Sourced from the San Vicente vineyard in the Canoca Valley, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, it aged for 20 months in French (90%) and American (10%) oak barrels. This purplish wine features minty and balsamic aromas along with notes of cassis, sour cherry and candy, edged with hints of rosemary. Dry, chalky and fairly rich, the edgy, fine-grained, reactive tannins elevate a structured mouthfeel. A nuanced and intense Rioja wine, the San Vicente has defined the modern style in the region since its very first vintage in 1991." - Joaquin Hidalgo
Coming from the proprietors of the historic Sierra Cantabria estate, this is their single-site 'chateau' wine, named after their relatively newer winery in the foothills of the Cantabria mountains of Rioja Alta. It's a perfect example of a "modernly styled" Rioja, modeled more after today's Bordeaux or Napa Valley than the Spanish style that dominated for at least a century (like the Sierra Cantabria Gran Reserva). The fruit and floral perfume have more intensity here, less obstructed by the long aging of yore, and the tannic structure is more youthfully firm. Using mostly French, rather than American, oak yields a wine with more cedar and spice character than the sweeter vanilla and coconut that can characterize classic Rioja. While the palate features a bright black fruit intensity, it is elegantly weighted, complemented well by the slightly toasty cedar and fresh minty herbal accents. The growing tannic grip from the new oak barrels emerges from the soft midpalate in an elegant fashion as well, that rides along with a wonderful stony mineral current that supports the fruit. You can enjoy this wine now by decanting for an hour or so at 60-65F, and pair with a New York strip steak! While the overall experience is in line with today's structured red wines from around the world, this is no generic "international" wine, and no Bordeaux copy. It still speaks of Rioja the place, and the distinctive type of Tempranillo (Peluda) that forms its foundations.
Coming from the proprietors of the historic Sierra Cantabria estate, this is their single-site 'chateau' wine, named after their relatively newer winery in the foothills of the Cantabria mountains of Rioja Alta. It's a perfect example of a "modernly styled" Rioja, modeled more after today's Bordeaux or Napa Valley than the Spanish style that dominated for at least a century (like the Sierra Cantabria Gran Reserva). The fruit and floral perfume have more intensity here, less obstructed by the long aging of yore, and the tannic structure is more youthfully firm. Using mostly French, rather than American, oak yields a wine with more cedar and spice character than the sweeter vanilla and coconut that can characterize classic Rioja. While the palate features a bright black fruit intensity, it is elegantly weighted, complemented well by the slightly toasty cedar and fresh minty herbal accents. The growing tannic grip from the new oak barrels emerges from the soft midpalate in an elegant fashion as well, that rides along with a wonderful stony mineral current that supports the fruit. You can enjoy this wine now by decanting for an hour or so at 60-65F, and pair with a New York strip steak! While the overall experience is in line with today's structured red wines from around the world, this is no generic "international" wine, and no Bordeaux copy. It still speaks of Rioja the place, and the distinctive type of Tempranillo (Peluda) that forms its foundations.
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