Canta La Perdiz Tempranillo Blend (2017)

Former oenology student turned DRC intern Jorge Monzón works 66 hectares of vines around his hometown of La Aguilera, focusing on indigenous regional varieties, old vines, and organic farming. ‘Canta la Perdiz’ is a co-fermented blend, foot trodden, vinified in concrete, and aged 30 months in barrel. Delicate aromatics lead to a red-fruited palate noted with flavors of chalk, baking spice, and flowers, marked by well-integrated tannins.

Canta la Perdiz comes from a single vineyard located in the village of La Aguilera. This south-facing site is planted with ungrafted vines that date back well into the 19th century. As far as anyone can remember, this site has been maintained by replacing vines that had died with cuttings from neighboring vines. This vineyard has a unique soil - pale, sandy, and chalky limestone laid down in horizontal layers like slate. Each vintage is labeled to reflect the growing conditions of the particular year – the blue for a cool vintage, the fiery red for a warm one, and a more composed orange for a temperate vintage.

97+ - Robert Parker