If you like balanced wines with tannins, but with a good presence of red and black fruits, you will love our Crianza.
Bodegas Martínez Alesanco believes the key to success is to produce wines with identity, which show the soil, climate, and the raw materials in every sip. Let yourself fall in love with this refreshing wine, whose highlights include the aromas of red fruit, licorice, sweet and spicy notes, all wrapped in soft toasted notes.
14 %
Tempranillo 85%, Garnacha Tinta 11%, Maturana Tinta 3%, and Viura 1%.
13 months in American oak barrels and 10 months in bottle.
The secret of good Rioja-style potatoes lies in the use of authentic Riojan chorizo and dried choricero peppers; as well as the freshest potatoes possible, which must be “chascadas” (or “cracked”), never cut with a knife, but kind of ripped away in chunks so they release their starch which makes a thick, succulent sauce.
In the 1800s, French oak barrels began to be used in La Rioja. In addition to adding character to the wines, they increased the wine’s longevity.
Unlike other areas in the world, Rioja adopted the model of selling its wines “ready to drink.” The wines are initially kept in the bottle, so, it is normal to find that the vintages for sale are several years old.
Our Crianza wines are a traditional type of wine, where red wines reach the market after the third year. They mature in the cellars for a minimum of two years, the first twelve months must be spent in oak barrels and the rest in bottle. It is one of the categories that offers the most wine styles.
APPEARANCE: Bright, cherry red with garnet reflections. Clear with a medium-dark color.
NOSE: Fresh and aromatic, with aromas of red and black fruit, balsamic notes, mint, sweet spicy notes on a background of red licorice, along with soft toasted notes.
PALATE: On the palate, red and black fruit continue and the creamy notes are perceived a bit more; ripe tannin, good acidity, and a long finish, where combined notes of fruit and oak return.
Generally, the year had few significant weather events.
Budbreak was later than the previous season, delayed by about 20 days.
The abundant rainfall accumulated during the winter and spring of 2018 led to an excellent vineyard situation during the first months of the growing season.
In the second part of July, the rains stopped and we began to enjoy warm and dry weather. In most of the vineyards, this weather change led to the drying of the mycelium and the recovery of leaf mass and clusters. The health of the vineyard improved significantly.
During ripening, which followed normal patterns, adequate quality parameters and higher than average berry weight stood out due to good weather conditions.
The harvest began on October 1, 17 days later than in the previous season. In general, the end of the cycle was characterized by a staggered harvest on traditional dates. The entry into the winery was slow, especially due to the slower pace in reaching the end of ripening. The latter, together with good weather conditions, made it possible to keep the grapes in the vineyard for a longer period of time in order to achieve optimum ripeness.
The harvest was marked by a great selection of grapes, both in the vineyard and in the winery, and without any setbacks in terms of weather.
Among the characteristics that define the average profile of the wines of the 2018 vintage, whose average alcohol content is slightly lower than in previous years, is the finesse of the reds, with intense and vivid colors, as well as the harmony on the palate. In addition, the great quality of the white wines and, in particular, the character and personality of the native Rioja varieties, showed wines of great aromatic intensity and very good structure on the palate.
We select out of our best Tempranillo vineyards:
Vía Cárdenas plot, planted in 1986 to Tempranillo. Trained in goblet in calcareous clay soil, and at an altitude of 553 m.
Entrematas plot, planted in 1996 to Tempranillo. Trained in goblet in ferrous-clay soil, and at an altitude of 630 m.
Las del Rey plot, planted in 1997 to Tempranillo. Trained in double cordon in calcareous clay soil, and at an altitude of 600 m.
Merino plot, planted in 1975 to Tempranillo. Trained in goblet in ferrous-clay soil, and at an altitude of 550 m.
Valle San Millán plot, planted in 1986 to Tempranillo. Trained in goblet in calcareous clay soil, and at an altitude of 610 m.
El Campillo plot, planted in 1993 to Tempranillo. Trained in double cordon in calcareous clay soil, and at an altitude of 630 m.
Tejares plot, planted in 1986 to Garnacha Tinta on ferrous-clay soil with some stone at 623 m in altitude.
El Hombo plot, planted in 2004 to Maturana Tinta in ferrous-clay soil, double cordon trained, and at an altitude of 650 m.
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