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Seņorio
de San Vicente is the flagship wine of the Eguren family,
owners of Bodega Sierra Cantabria in San Vicente de la
Sonsierra in Rioja Alta.
Winemaker Marcos Eguren has produced one of the best wines ever
to come out of Rioja.
In the early eighties the Egurens looked at the various vineyard
parcels on their estate and in 1985 chose one parcel and planted
Tempranillo peludo, " peludo " meaning hairy or furry due to
the fine hairs on the leaves. Tempranillo peludo is native to
Rioja and the oldest grape variety there.
The vineyard was chosen for its good drainage, poor soil, good
midday exposure and sheltered position against the cold north
wine.
Seņorio de San Vicente's single vineyard and high density of
planting were unique in Rioja at the time. Eguren believes that
good husbandry in the vineyard and only using organic matter
and no chemical fertilisers limits aggresivity towards the vines.
New too was the severe sorting of grapes in the vineyard and
in the winery.
Low yields, the erstwhile norm in ancient Rioja but long forgotten
by the big production years of the eighties and nineties, were
brought back into practice. Eguren adopted new methods of vinification
in the winery : long maceration ageing in new oak, American
and French, and for shorter periods.
Eguren's philosophy behind all this ?
To produce a wine with maximum varietal expression and a pronounced
personality. Greater concentration and complexity which could
only be achieved by respecting the vineyard, listening to the
grape and paying attention to detail.
All these factors have contributed towards producing an elegant
wine, concentrated and complex. A wine of quality where tradition
and modern techniques come together to give a very special wine,
Seņorio
de San Vicente.
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