Tinto Figuero 12 Crianza

Wine information: Tinto Figuero was founded by vine growing couple Jose Maria Garcia and Milagros Figuero. They have dedicated their lives to their family vineyards, and were key to establishing the DO Ribera del Duero as a high quality wine region by supplying Tempranillo grapes to the region’s best wineries. In the late 1990’s, Jose and Milagros decided to produce their own wines, and after constructing their winery at La Horra they released the first Tinto Figuero vintage in 2001. Enlisting the winemaking team of Alicia Vítores and Oscar Rodriguez, Figuero have an absolute commitment to perfection. Using minimal handling techniques they bring out the purest expression of their grapes, creating beautifully balanced and complex wines. Gravity flow, automatic tank topping and strict temperature control are used along with whole grape fermentations and gentle pressing. All of the wines are aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels and are further matured in bottle until ready for release. Eighty-percent of the Tempranillo grapes used in this wine come from 20-40 year-old vines, with the remaining 20-percent coming from vines older than 50 years. Figuero 12 Crianza 2006, comes from a vintage with very excellent weather conditions in the vineyards located at La Horra. Generous rain appeared at the proper time during the whole vintage, at the sprout, blooming and veraison. And with the high temperature during August and September it was possible to perfect phenolic maturity and alcoholic ripening of the grapes.After being hand-harvested and undergoing cluster selection in the vineyards, the grapes are destemmed and go through gravity-controlled tanks, with five to six days of cold-skin maceration prior to fermentation. An additional two months of maturation follow, with malolactic fermentation taking place. Clarification with natural egg white. The wine is aged for twelve months in two-plus year-old barrels (85-percent American and 15-percent French oak). It is then aged an additional two years in bottle before leaving the cellar. 100% Tempranillo.

Tasting Notes: Tinto Figuero 12 Crianza (12 months in barrel) has a deep red colour with blue highlights that signifies good ripeness. The initial aromas are clean and intense, with well-matured red berries and enhanced by sweet touches of oak and a little balsamic eucalyptus and liquorice at the end. The taste is balanced and full-flavoured, with sweet, round tannins married to light acidity, giving a fresh, harmonic tone to the palate. There is a hint of mint and minerals on the finish, which is also silky and elegant.

 
     

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