$65.99
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Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Grape: Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo)
First Glance: Deep, blackberry, vanilla, dark chocolate
Alejandro Fernández started Pesquera in 1972, and through tireless work and continuous improvements, he became one of the legendary names of modern Spanish wine history. He was instrumental in the Ribera Del Duero region's rise to fame, and its establishment as an official D.O. in 1982. He helped set the tone for muscular, structured wines from the local Tinta del Pais grape - a natural thick-skinned adaption of the Temranillo variety, well suited to the dry and warm days and cool nights of the mountain plateau in north-central Spian. Early on, the wines of Pesquera were recognized for their power and longevity by all-important American wine writer Robert Parker Jr., with the moniker of "the Spanish Château Petrus", cementing their place in the hierarchy of the Spanish wine scene at the time.
The Pesquera Crianza from the much lauded 2018 vintage, comes from comparatively younger plots of vines between 30 - 40 years of age, planted on sand and gravel soils over a limestone bedrock. Fruit is mostly destemmed, leaving a large amount of whole berries, and the ferment occurred only with natural yeasts. The wine ages in a mix of American, Spanish and French oak of smaller sizes between 225-300 litre oak. Bottled unfiltered to retain texture and flavour.
The Review:
(2019 vintage)
93 points, Mike Desimone, Wine Enthusiast
Deep violet-red in the glass, this wine has aromas of blackberry, cassis and dried Mediterranean herbs. Dark berries are joined on the palate by flavors of chocolate covered espresso bean, black olive paste and a hint of violet. Plush tannins make their way across the palate and dissolve into a bright, lingering finish
