La Poza de Ballesteros 2021

More than almost any other Spanish bodega, Artadi stands for the change from wines characterised by the cellar to wines characterised by the terroir. Since the 1990s, the winery in the Basque region of Rioja has focussed on expressing the character of specific vineyards in its wines. The certified organic red wine "La Poza de Ballesteros" comes from a 1.2 hectare vineyard facing west at an altitude of around 600 metres in the municipality of Elvillar. We are in the higher and cooler part of the Alavesa, at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria. The 63-year-old Tempranillo vines grow on a loamy, sandy and calcareous soil. As with all Artadi wines, the grapes are destemmed and fermented spontaneously. The wine is matured in oak barrels of different sizes and ages.

Crimson

A cool, dark fruit of black cherry and blackberry as well as an earthy minerality characterise the bouquet. The nose has a multi-layered aroma and high intensity. It is stimulatingly fresh, energising and excellently balanced.

La Poza 2021 has noble, mouth-filling tannins, is mineral and powerful on the palate. Compared to other single-vineyard wines from Artadi, such as Valdegines and San Lazaro, this red wine is fuller-bodied and more densely structured. However, despite its fuller body, it is enormously full of tension and has a juicy flavour. The interplay of round body, lively acidity, velvety texture and dark fruit is impressive and almost perfectly balanced. The wine is deep and complex. The icing on the cake is the long finish, in which the fine-grained tannins linger elegantly and fluffily in the mouth.