Description
REVIEWS
“Alejandro Fernandez; The man who proved that Ribera del Duero had major world class export potential and continues to do so year in and year out.” John Radford-The New Spain, Mitchell Beazley
DID YOU KNOW?
Pesquera is of course one of the legendary Estates of Spain. It was under this label that Alejandro Fernández made the 100% Tempranillo wines that first launched the Ribera del Duero region on to the world stage. He established Pesquera in 1972 and the resulting critical acclaim was instrumental in the Ribera de Duero receiving official D.O. status in 1982. In 2008, the region joined the esteemed ranks of Rioja and Priorat as one of only three regions with the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) classification.
Alejandro Fernádez is a poster child for the rise and rise of the ‘New Spain’. A family breadwinner from the age of 13, he has gone on to become one of the greats of modern Spanish viticulture and a pioneer in both Ribera and with the Tempranillo grape. Pesquera was the first Estate he established and the one that launched his fame. Tinto Pesquera is made with a hybrid traditional/modern methodology and is aged a minimum of 18 months in oak, with selected Reservas and Grand Reservas remaining in barrel for at least 24 months or longer. The Pesquera township and surrounds has a firmly continental climate: the long sunny days ensure that the grapes attain good ripeness levels, while the cool nights extend the growing season and lend the wines a freshness and elegance that has long been a Pesquera trademark. The style today balances the concentration and complexity of low yields and minimal handling, with the classic freshness of the region.
Unlike the other legendary Estate Vega Sicilia, Pesquera and Condado de Haza are (see below) made almost entirely from the local Tinta del Pais – the local name given to Ribera’s own thick-skinned, wilder mutation of Tempranillo. These are a pleasure to drink, and totally unlike the style of many of Ribera’s flashy, high-octane alta expresión wines that have proliferated in Pesquera’s slipstream. In this respect, the wines remain some of the very finest of their genre, part of a select group of deliciously thought-provoking and timeless masterpieces. They are not always ‘technically perfect’ but they are always deliciously unique.
Condado de Haza
In the mid-1980s as Tinto Pesquera was assuming its place among the most intriguing and powerful icons in the world of wine, Alejandro spied a neglected slope along the Duero River which had the appearance of being the most ideal vineyard site in the region, perhaps in all Spain: one full kilometre of south-facing mountain slope leading right to the river’s edge. Ideal soils in the full range preferred by the Tempranillo variety, from gravel to clay with a chalky base, suggested the potential for a multitude of styles from this difficult grape, essential for creating the desired complexity and balance. Abandoned for years, the slope consisted of hundreds of small parcels with separate and stubborn ownership. Three years of continuous negotiation beginning in late 1986 resulted in the first planting of just over 100 acres in 1989. Today the contiguous estate includes over 500 acres of prime Tempranillo vines. Encompassed within the historic county of the hilltop village Haza high above the opposite bank of the Duero, the estate was christened Condado de Haza.
Condado de Haza reflects the bold and brilliant winemaking style of Alejandro Fernández. Bottled after malolactic fermentation and 15 months in American oak, like Tinto Pesquera, it can be enjoyed early yet will reward patient cellaring. Additionally, in great vintages a late harvest from the ripest portion of the vineyard is submitted to whole-cluster fermentation and 30 months’ aging in new oak. This glorious and supremely age-worthy red wine is called Alenza (from Alejandro and Esperanza).
Dehesa la Granja, Zamora
Fernández and his wife Esperanza Rivera, having created Tinto Pesquera and Condado de Haza in their native Ribera del Duero, looked farther afield and in the Spring of 1998, purchased this grand agricultural estate bordering the Guareña River in the province of Zamora, in the heart of one of Spain’s earliest-recognized wine regions. As with Fernández wines in the Ribera del Duero, the fully extracted must undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak (in this case some French oak), and a meticulous racking and aging program accomplishes a natural clarification. The wines are effectively Gran Reserva, having aged for at least 24 months in cask. These are some of the most exciting wines in the Fernandez stable.
El Vinculo, La Mancha
In 1999, the discovery of an old, head-pruned Tempranillo vineyard amidst a sea of white (Airén) grapes convinced Alejandro Fernández to undertake one last bodega. Based in the historic windmill village of Campo de Criptana, La Mancha, El Vinculo is today the leading winery of the region – by some margin. It has become the first benchmark Estate of central Spain. As with all the Fernández wines, El Vinculo is 100% Tempranillo from old bush vines and similarly, the winemaking follows the blue-print of the Pesquera and Condado de Haza Bodegas. The current release combines classic minerality with velvety ripeness and rich texture and a fresh, elegant finish. The palate here is very supple and multi-layered. Certainly the finest El Vinculo we have shipped.
