Macán Macán 2020

The Macán vineyard lies in the DOCa Rioja, on the north bank of the Ebro, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria. Its plots are spread around San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Labastida, Ábalos, Elvillar and Navaridas, between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. This mosaic of slopes and terraces enjoys the natural shelter of the Cantabrian range while receiving both Atlantic and continental influences. The mostly clay-limestone soils, poor and well drained, together with the altitude of the vines, encourage slow ripening of the Tempranillo, preserving freshness, concentration and aromatic precision.

The grapes are harvested by hand, then rigorously selected. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at controlled temperature in French oak vats. The wine is then aged for 15 months in French oak barrels.

This wine reveals notes of ripe black fruit, cherry and plum, joined by violet, sweet spices and liquorice. Hints of cedar, cocoa and balsamic resin add complexity without dominating the whole. On the palate, the wine is broad, dense and silky, supported by fresh acidity and ripe, fine yet still firm tannins. The balance remains precise and energetic, while the long, lingering finish retains a pleasant mineral tension and highlights the elegance of the oak ageing.

The history of wine in Spain is so old that no one really knows who brought the first vines to the region. When the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was well established and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a wine miracle. After years on the sidelines of the fine wine world, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often very high in alcohol) and spicy reds that are ever more popular with international consumers. Proud to have more land under vine than any other country, Spain is only just beginning to capitalise on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is an anarchic tangle of regions and sub-regions, just as its landscape is an anarchic tangle of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity between Spain's many wine regions, from the green, rain-soaked vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the sun-baked vineyards of the Mediterranean south-east. Spain's saving grace, as far as viticulture is concerned, is the average altitude of its vineyards, over 600 metres. Many Spanish vineyards therefore manage to produce grapes with good colour and acidity simply because night-time temperatures are relatively low and the grapes do not ripen until the end of a sufficiently long growing season. But there is real treasure to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all kinds of ambitious investors have done their bit to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun crafting spectacular wines and experimenting with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable until very recently. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.