2018 Artadi Vina El Pison

In the medieval village of Laguardia, the future of La Rioja has developed in the cellars of Artadi. Without a doubt, this masterpiece is due to the brilliant and creative work of Juan Carlos López, who is today assisted by his son Carlos.

When Juan Carlos turned the cooperative into an independent 'bodega' in 1992, he had already been in charge of it for 7 years. His vision was revolutionary and completely destroyed Rioja, but in no time he managed to make the best of Spain's wines, which immediately conquered the whole world. The short pruning of the vineyards resulting in very small yields, and the use of French oak barrels were just some of his innovative ideas. Even more important was the 'early' bottling of his wines, as opposed to the traditional riojas, which were sometimes kept in large wooden 'foudres' for up to 10 years. With this he also deliberately took a step aside from the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva classification.

All wines in their range are made exclusively from the Tempranillo grape, which was born in Rioja and can also give the best quality here. The range includes 3 wines in which Viñas de Gain is their base wine. This wine is the great example of the best Rioja wines and is often used as a reference point. Without a doubt the best quality wine for its price!!
For Pagos Viejos, only the best grapes from the old vineyards are selected, which come from the best terroirs from all over Rioja. It is therefore no wonder that this wine is a true explosion of fruit, structure and elegant tannins. This wine owes its perfect balance to the 14 months of oak barrel aging. Only in the greatest years is this selection made into a superior Grandes Añadas.
Viña el Pison comes from a unique plot of 2.4 hectares where the subsoil and the location of the vineyard to the sun are exceptional tenors. With an average age of 65 years, the vines give nothing but the very best, but unfortunately also very limited, which makes this whopper so unique!

Artadi's 2018 El Pison is a worthy successor to the 2014 and 2016. The Viña El Pisón is the most aromatic of all Artadi's single-vineyard bottlings. It opens with aromas of violets and Asian spices similar to a de Rioja version of a Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanée. The nose is very spicy, ripe and intoxicating with open and expressive aromas of croissants, herbal teas, aromatic herbs and balsamic that is already remarkably complex for its young age so it promises something with the passing of the years. The 2014 El Pisón is very complete and is a very complex wine. Only 6600 bottles have been produced and the wine has been awarded 99/100 points by Parker and according to Parker this 2018 Viña El Pisón is one of the best vintages ever for this bottling. It is named after a 2.4 hectare plot planted in 1945 in the village of Laguardia. The vineyard is an amphitheater with varying soils of limestone, clay and sandstone with a deep combination of limestone and silt. The grapes were cold soaked for 24 to 48 hours and fermented with native yeasts in oak barrels for 10-12 days, during which time the grapes were trampled twice a day. It matured for nine months in French oak barrels. There is something mysterious about this Pisón; it's subtle and elegant, a little austere and restrained at first. The palate is seamless, silky with very refined tannins, with amazing balance and a very long, clean and precise finish. This is super. In June 2020, 6,600 bottles were filled.