Celebrate Tempranillo Day With A 'Polished and Harmonious' 93 Point Spanish Wine!

CELEBRATE TEMPRANILLO DAY!

"Today is International Tempranillo Day, and if you are wondering how to celebrate, I would say eat some Tapas and drink some Tempranillo! The 2014 Abadia Retuerta is a delicious Tempranillo blend from an esteemed producer, Abadia Retuerta, in the 'Golden Mile' of Spain – the area with an unrivaled concentration of Spain's greatest wineries, including Vega Sicilia and Pingus. You can pop the cork right now, or age it a few years… I don’t actually know a whole lot of people who celebrate Tempranillo Day, but there is a reason it is in early November: Tempranillo pairs beautifully with so many fall dishes, even turkey, if you are thinking that far ahead! Stock up and enjoy!" – Jim Knight, The Wine House

93 Points: "This red shows density and structure, with firm, well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity supporting plum, currant, dark chocolate and mineral flavors. Polished and harmonious. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2026." – Thomas Matthews, Wine Spectator (December 2017)

92+ Points: "I tasted the 2014 Selección Especial, a very different vintage from 2013. It was a prolific vintage, so they had to do a severe green harvest to adjust yields, and some rains in September forced the harvest to be a little earlier. The final blend is slightly different each year and in 2014 it was 70% Tempranillo, 17% Syrah and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. The aging in barrel was slightly shorter, 11 months instead of 13. 2014 was a homogeneous vintage and they didn't need to use any Merlot, which in slightly warmer vintages does not work as nicely as in cooler ones. This wine changed from the 2010 vintage, as before that year they used quite a lot of oak and the wine was very oaky. They have now removed the excess, and the wines show more precision and purity. It's a little riper and concentrated than the 2013, with more clout but perhaps a little more predictability. This has all the ingredients to be a great commercial success." – Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (February 2017)

FROM THE WINERY

Ageing: 11 Months in French and American oak barrels
Appellation: Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León - Sardón de Duero
Alc: 14% Vol.
Total acidity: 5.4 g/l pH: 3.74

This is our best-known wine worldwide. Produced from a selection of the best grapes from each of our vineyards, it combines the richness of a Tempranillo and the elegance of a Cabernet Sauvignon with the strength of a Syrah. Dark red color with a clean, complex and fresh nose. On the palate, it has an intense fruity touch, mainly of red fruits. Aged 11 months in French and American oak barrels, the wood infuses notes of cedar, pastry and dark roasting. It attacks the palate politely but firmly.

This is a very well-balanced wine, harmonious, with a rich bouquet and incredible expressiveness. Worthy fruit of the vine and of a job well done.

The 2014 Vintage: The main feature of this vintage is the large number of racemes per plant we found budding on the vines (30% above average). This forced us to do very strict green pruning to adapt production. Autumn and winter recorded 250 l of rainfall, which took the phreatic stratum to maximum capacity. Summer was quite dry (not one single drop of rain fell in August), but water reserves completed the cycle of the vine thanks to good control of the number of racemes on each one. The month of September recorded rainfall of 32 l, which led to the first signs of botrytis. October was a rainy month and that led us to bring the date of the harvest forward, since the grape was already ripe and the rain could have compromised its health. So, white grapes were harvested on 14 September. The harvest of the black grapes began on 24 September and ended on 6 October with Pago Garduña.

If we take the heat summation index of the vintage into account, it shows a warmer-than-average climate, which is, in principle, good for quality.

Production: 1.250 barrels divided into 350.000 bottles, 9.500 magnum and 950 doubles magnum.
Storage: Storage temperature should not exceed 15ºC.
Life: It will develop its potential in the bottle during the next years

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