Pago de Carraovejas 'Cuesta De Las Liebres' 2019

97 Points - Tim Penin

Notes from the Winemaker

OUR WINES
The result of the effort
Cuesta de las Liebres 2019
Only in singles vintages
The expression of a precise and pure vineyard. Made only in single vintages. Our viticulture takes on a challenge, a story of equality between man and nature. A radical wine, from the roots. Powerful and very persistent. An authentic wine.

Varieties: Tinto Fino (100%)
Alcohol by volume: 15%.
Soils: Tertiary geology of limestone marl with outcrops of calcareous salts of a very characteristic whitish tone.
Altitude: 850 to 900 meters. Elevation difference of up to 35%.
Harvest: manual, in 15 kg boxes.
The climatological balance of 2019
The 2019 vintage was characterized by a cold winter with little rainfall. Thanks to the abundant rainfall in 2018, the vineyard retained sufficient water reserves to foster balanced development throughout the vine cycle. Budbreak and flowering developed in a balanced manner for each of the estate’s varieties. Veraison and ripening began around mid-August and the berries grew very uniformly. The harvest began on September 18, when the earliest variety, Merlot, was harvested, followed by Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, which were harvested on October 5.
The power of a singular plot
The Cuesta de las Liebres vineyard sits on a steep slope with a rich biodiversity. The vines, planted in a vertical vase, border the upper part of a pine forest in which various native species of flora and fauna coexist. The whitish-coloured calcareous salts are visible in a terroir of limestone marl. These elements, together with the area’s mesoclimate, are distinctive features that allow the vineyard to convey a character full of energy and authenticity. A great spot, where Tempranillo Fino shows its purest expression.
The character of a small stronghold
The Cuesta de las Liebres grapes were harvested by hand after exhaustive monitoring during the ripening cycle. The grapes were sorted in the vineyard and transported in small crates to the winery, where they passed through a cold chamber and double sorting table: first by cluster and then by berry. The must was moved by gravity. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations were carried out spontaneously in small wooden vats to mark the personality of the terroir. The wine was aged for 24 months in new 225-liter French oak barrels of extra fine grain. For added protection, the wine contains sulfites. The 2019 vintage was bottled in the spring of 2022.