Alfar Selected Vintage 2016 100% Tempranillo, D.O.Ca Rioja

Awards: 89 POINTS Wine Enthusiast - Silver Medal Mundus Vini - 92 POINTS Peñin

Founded in 1988, Bodegas Valdelacierva belongs to Hispanbodegas Group which owns wineries in the three most important Appellations in the country: Rioja, Ribera Del Duero, and Rueda. Valdelacierva is located in the heart of Rioja Alta (Navarrete) and it has 200 hectares of vineyards, which are divided in small plots with vines that are between 25-130 years old. The winery has a young and dynamic character and it is inclined towards the elaboration of modern wi-nes, with the seal of the land and the Tempranillo grape variety as protagonists. The wines come from selected vineyards of the localities of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Briones, Baños de Ebro and Yécora.

Winemaking:

Grape selection by estates and maturation level in hand picked harvest, des-teeming and not crushing. Vines grown in traditional vase. Maceration for 3 days previous to the fermentation at 12ºC in order to facilitate the full extrac-tion of aromas. Fermentation at a controlled temperature of 24-26ºC for 5 to 7 days. After the fermentation there is another maceration for 10 days in order to complete the extraction of the poliphenols. Malolactic fermentation is done after devatting in new oak French barrel for two months. Afterwards the wine is aging in new oak French barrels for 8 months, being then rounded in the bottle for at least 12 months. This wine is only produced in extraordinary good vintages.