2010 El Pison

The 2010 Vina El Pison, one of the first single-vineyard wines in Rioja, is sourced from the Tempranillo vines planted by Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle’s grandfather in 1945. The 2.4-hectare vineyard is located in Laguardia, very close to the winery, at 480 meters above sea level. The destemmed grapes ferment in open wooden vats and the wine ages for 15 months in French oak barrels. Ever-changing in the glass, it moves from one set of aromas when just opened to the next one in a matter of minutes, switching from cherries to violets, the cinnamon turns into nutmeg, then it is raspberries, and even blood oranges. The medium-bodied palate shows great precision, tension and purity of flavors, with clean acidity and a mineral core that make it vibrant. It’s not in-your-face, it whispers, and you have to pay attention. It has great balance and harmony. The tight tannins would benefit from a little bit more time in bottle, and I’m sure the wine will age for a very long time. This is a great, world-class wine. Drink 2015-2030. ||I tasted Artadi’s 2010s and 2011s, as they seem to be selling the new vintages very fast and they even sell part of their wines en primeur. 2010, 2011 and 2012 have been very dry years. I didn’t have the chance to taste any 2012s, but I look forward to doing so the next time around. 2011 seems to be more fruit forward, more primary, without the complexity and depth of the 2010s, which were very elegant and is a superb vintage for Artadi. There are differences in texture between the two years, 2010 being more gentle, rounder and silkier and 2011 a bit wilder with a touch of rusticity. When it comes to production methods, only Tempranillo is used (except for the white which is produced exclusively with Viura), they destemmed all the grapes, the press wine never makes it into the final blends, and they only use French oak barrels.||Imported by Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700; www.foliowine.com Wine Advocate.December, 2013