2018 Bodegas Pujanza S.J. Anteportalatina

Another topper this white SJ Anteportalatina from quality wine house Bodegas Pujanza . A beautiful representation of the unique terroir, medium intense with a freshness of floral aromas, white fruit, citrus notes and a hint of minerality on the nose. Taste: accessible and fresh entrance, rich mouthfeel in which the tipicity of the soil comes to the fore. A wine rich in nuances and complex aromas enhanced by the lees. This delicious white wine is excellently balanced and has a very long, lingering finish. It is young but approachable, with good balance and enough weight and potency to age well. The Anteportalatina is made in the good (normal) years and the Anada Frias is produced in the cool (good) years. In the lesser years, no white wine is made by Pujanza. Unique in its kind and very nice as an aperitif and also delicious with the more refined dishes, fish, lobster. In the glass the wine is light yellow and clear. The SJ Anteportalatina is a wine that passes on the terroir through the nose. With medium intensity, it is fresh, with floral aromas, citrus notes, white flesh and a hint of minerality. The phenolic aromas that develop in the bottle stand out here, something very rare in the region of origin. Full, direct attack, with a creamy, fresh mouthfeel, which shows the typical characteristics of the vineyard from which it comes. This is a wine rich in nuances, good body and complex aromas thanks to the work with the lees. Very long, persistent finish. Similar in style to the Tondonia (Reserva) Blanco and as with that wine, only a handful of them are always available.

In Laguardia, south of Bodegas Pujanza is the estate San Juan de Anteportalatina. Initially this vineyard was planted with Tempranillo, however Carlos San Pedro's father later decided that the higher part, the "cabezada", was more suitable for growing the Viura grape variety because of the properties of the soil.

From the vintage of 2006 wine has been produced from the grapes from this vineyard, this was initially only the Añadas Frías. This wine was made every year, but only actually marketed in the years 2007, 2013 and 2013. Only the winery's staff and friends enjoyed the wine made in the other years. Since they found the quality of that wine to be so good and it also got better over the years, the winery found in 2015 that it was really necessary to market this wine, which also resulted in a new brand, the SJ Anteportalatina . The 2018 vintage is the 3rd vintage of this great wine and is made from one of the earliest harvests in Rioja and is characterized by very good climatic conditions throughout the growing cycle and an exceptionally beautiful month of September which contributed to the final great quality of the wine. grape. As a result, this SJ Anteportalatina has its own style, a unique character and a great personality.

After a careful selection in the vineyard, the grapes undergo a cold maceration for several hours. Soft pressing, after which the alcoholic fermentation starts in stainless steel vats. After three days, fermentation follows in French oak barrels of 225 and 500 liters. Aging took place in the same barrels for 14 months.

Awards: Tim Atkin: 96/100 “Wine of the Year”

Parker 94/100