Finca Museum Vinea Tempranillo Crianza

Finca Museum is based in Cigales, a small DO located in Castilla y León, east of Valladolid. Although the area was once known for its dry rosados, a result of co-fermenting field blends of red and white varieties, it is the Tinta del Pais, a thicker-skinned Tempranillo, that excels today. As the name suggests, the winery is also a museum, with sculptures and paintings dating back to the 17th century.

The extreme continental climate of Cigales (with temperatures ranging from 40°C in the summer to -10°C in the winter) and the soils poor in organic matter combine to ensure low yields and great wines. The soils are so poor that other crops such as cereal are unable to grow. Its primarily for this reason that the vines, many now over 40 years old, have survived in Cigales. The low-yielding, high altitude bush vines (up to 800m above sea level) produce very thick-skinned grapes, which results in wines of intense colour and concentration. Finca Museum own 185 hectares of vineyards with a further 100 hectares of old bush vines that they buy from growers on long-term contracts, which are more than 50 years old. All the vineyards are hand harvested with great care into small crates no higher than 90cm so as not to crush the grapes before they arrive at the winery. Great care is taken in selecting the grapes before crushing, and on average 5% of grapes are rejected during this selection process.

Tempranillo,

Grapes for the `Vinea` Crianza are sourced from a plot of 50-year-old bush-trained vines situated at 750 metres above sea level. Soils here are very poor, with layers of gravel, sand, limestone and chalk over clay and sand. The old vines produce low yields of very concentrated grapes. Harvest is carried out by hand into small crates, no higher than 90cm, to avoid crushing the grapes before they arrive at the winery.

After the grapes were brought into the winery, a pre-fermentation maceration took place at 5ºC in stainless-steel vats, to extract both colour and flavour from the grapes. They were then fermented at 27ºC, with short but frequent pumping over to achieve a full-bodied wine with a fruity personality and good structure. The wine spent 14 months in oak barrels, 60% American oak and 40% French oak. After a natural stabilising process, the wine was bottled in September and rested in the cellars at controlled temperature and humidity levels until labelling. As a result of this process it has some natural sediment.

This wine is a brilliant cherry red colour with a garnet rim. On the palate, intense flavours of red berries marry with notes of coconut, mocha and balsamic, and subtle smoky nuances from the oak ageing. The mouthfeel is velvety and elegant, with sweet tannins and a long-lasting finish.

This is a good red option for coconut based curries or of course grilled meats.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on Tempranillo Blog

Here is a striking bottle from the small region of Cigales. This is a small region in Castilla y Leon, little known and often overshadowed by its neighbour, the mighty Ribera Del Duero. It is well worth looking out for these lesser-known regions as the value can be fantastic! This is a harsh region for viticulture. Hot, dry summers and freezing winters create a whole host of troubles. However, it is this struggle, along with the high altitude that provides the noticeable diurnal range, that allows Cigales to produce such characterful wines.

The topsoil's in the region are very poor and sandy, meaning that the phylloxera louse never managed to ravage the vineyards of Cigales as it did in Rioja. Here you can find some properly old, gnarly bush vines. When vines get older, the root systems dig deeper into the earth so even in arid places like this, they can tap into the water table, reducing the need for irrigation, (effortless sustainability!). Older vines are naturally less vigorous and produce fewer grapes so more energy is dedicated to this smaller amount of fruit, leading to a more intense flavour.

This great value Crianza is produced from 50+ year old bush vines, aged 14 months in oak barrels, 60% of which were American oak and 40% French oak, creating a balance of sweeter vanillin's and savoury toasty notes. Red berries marry with notes of coconut, mocha, balsamic, and subtle smoky nuances from the oak ageing. Tempranillo is a grape that works well with spice and this wine in particular is a great pairing for Caribbean style goat curry.