2021 Sierra Cantabria Mágico

At Sierra Cantabria, or the Riojans, they are always searching for authentic and pure wines that express their origins, landscape, culture, tradition, ancestors, family, and personal experiences. This wine, Sierra Cantabria Mágico, embodies all these qualities. Sierra Cantabria Mágico comes from a small vineyard: El Vardallo (also known as Las Sepulturas), just 1.18 hectares in size, located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra.

This vineyard was spared from the phylloxera crisis of the early 20th century, and some vines are over 150 years old. As was common at the time, a single vineyard contained a wide range of varietals, both red and white. The reds are 65% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, 2.5% Graciano, 1% Petit Bouschet, and 1.1% others; the whites are 4.4% Calagraño, 3.2% Turruntés (Rioja), and 2.8% Viura (Macabeo).

The Magico is produced using highly traditional Rioja winemaking techniques. The vineyard is worked entirely by hand and plowed by horse. The Eguren family uses biodynamic techniques to ensure sustainability and maintenance of the soil microbiome. The vineyards are naturally fertilized every two years. The vineyard's soil consists of sandy loam with little organic matter, and in the subsoil there is a layer of iron and calcareous clay, which is crucial for water retention. The bedrock is also present at the same depth. The climate is continental with Atlantic influences, moderated by the Sierra Cantabria mountains.

All grape varieties are destemmed by hand and rigorously sorted. All varieties except Garnacha were lightly crushed and macerated in small wooden barrels. Garnacha was fermented and macerated separately in a wooden barrel. Maceration lasted 21 days for the blended varieties and 15 days for the Garnacha. Malolactic fermentation took place in new French oak barriques. The blended varieties underwent malolactic fermentation in one 500-liter and four 225-liter barrels. Garnacha underwent malolactic fermentation in a 500-liter barrel.

Sierra Cantabria Mágico embodies the Eguren family's desire to produce a superior Rioja wine, similar to their Teso La Monja. Given their long history of producing incredible single-vineyard wines, they felt the challenge of continuous improvement and saw that surpassing that quality was possible when they discovered the El Vardallo vineyard. Vineyards this old are simply almost non-existent in Rioja, and the qualities are countless. The grape blend is an incredible treasure trove of authentic varietals, each adding character and complexity to the final wine.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous writes about the 2020 (the 2021 has just been released and has not yet been reviewed): " This wine seems to be from another planet—one where magic occurs in reality ".

Tip: Cult wines are often tampered with these days, and this one is no exception. We are the official importer, and you can check the Sierra Cantabria website to see if you have an official bottle issued by an importer. This way, you can be sure you haven't accidentally purchased a counterfeit or refilled bottle. You can do this at: http://www.sierracantabria.com/en/wineries/vinedos-sierra-cantabria/sierra-cantabria-magico/

Sierra Cantabria's Magico has a fresh cherry color in the glass. On the nose, it offers beautiful notes of blueberry, tobacco, cedar, cherry, and mineral and toasty undertones. On the palate, the Magico red wine is very intense, superbly elegant, and complex with silky tannins. The new French oak lends the wine a velvety smooth palate. Excellent balance between acidity and ripe tannins, with a very long finish. The wine has received unanimously excellent reviews. This is a collector's item.

Trivia: Hermanos Euguren was named Winemaker of the Year 2012 by the American wine magazine Wine Enthusiast.