Bernabeleva Madrid Arroyo del Tortolas Garnacha 2020 (6 Bottles) Madrid, Spain
$515.00 GST Included
AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED
The stunning Arroyo del Tórtolas vineyard accounts for just 1.2 hectares of 80-year-old vines at 800m above sea level on pure granitic sand. One of three of Bernabeleva’s single vineyard wines, Arroyo del Tórtolas, is the steepest, highest, and the only one that faces north. Juan Bulnes purchased the lower section of the vineyard in 2007 and, three years later, completed the parcel.
The spongey granitic sands—known locally as episienita—are ploughed by horse under the control of Miguel Santiago, one of this area’s two remaining specialists in his field. Arroyo is one of the first of Bernabeleva’s vineyards to ripen, yet the shifting geology and the steepness of the site always result in two separate harvests from the top and bottom. The yields are naturally meagre, with each vine producing roughly two bottles of wine.
For this wine, the grapes are foot trodden and left to ferment naturally in upright wooden vats—fermentation can last up to two months in some years—with the percentage of stems dependent on the vintage. The yields are naturally meagre, with each vine producing roughly two bottles of wine. The aging takes place in 500 and 600-litre barrels for 12 months, after which the wine is bottled unfiltered.
We see this wine as the most ‘Gredos’ Grenache in Bernabeleva’s portfolio. Where the Viña Bonita, from south-facing vines, is a deeper and denser expression, Arroyo del Tórtolas gifts something pure, lacy and limpid, with haunting floral-infused aromas and a gracefully structured palate that flourishes with mineral intrigue.
Description
About Bernabeleva
It’s not easy keeping up with the stunning transformation of the Spanish wine landscape (but we’re doing our best!). Our latest discovery was recommended to us by several of our producers including Alfredo Maestro, Jonatan García Lima (Suertes del Marqués) and the great José Luis Mateo (Quinta da Muradella). So it was no surprise when the wines of this producer knocked us for six.
Bernabeleva is based in the Madrid highlands at San Martín de Valdeiglesias and produces deep, perfumed, incredibly mineral Garnacha-based reds and textured, savoury and extract rich whites. José Luis Mateo summed it up best when he said, “Of all the producers around Madrid, for me he is the best. His wines have the most finesse”. Look out for our offers on these beauties.
On the one hand, our role as a merchant of all things wine & spirits could not be simpler. We aim to source the most delicious, the most authentic, and the highest quality products possible from Australia and around the world in order to offer them to our clients. We live or die by how well we perform this task. Of course things are rarely as simple or as easy as they seem. Hunting for wines & spirits is no different. Apart from the months spent travelling, countless days and evenings spent tasting and the outrageous wine expenditure in the name of ‘research’, sourcing quality wine and spirits requires expertise and experience. Understanding the potential of a producer and their products is much more than just a slurp and a spit.
