Pesquera Ribera del Duero Tinto Crianza 2018

Pesquera Crianza is Alejandro Fernández's benchmark Ribera del Duero, made entirely from Tempranillo grown on estate vineyards at Pesquera de Duero.

Ribera del Duero follows the Duero river across the high plateau of Castilla y León, where altitude and a wide day-to-night temperature swing preserve acidity in a hot, dry continental climate. Alejandro Fernández built the modern reputation of the appellation from the 1970s, working with Tinto Fino, the local strain of Tempranillo, at a time when Vega Sicilia was almost the only name from the region known abroad. The Crianza draws on the estate parcels of Lucía, Viña Alto and Llano Santiago, sites at around 730 metres where the vines are thirty to forty years old and poor, well-drained sand and gravel sit over a subsoil of clay and limestone. Fruit is picked late and mostly destemmed, leaving a high proportion of whole berries, cold-soaked and fermented with wild yeasts, with every block vinified separately. The unclarified wine goes straight to oak of 225 to 300 litres, a custom-cured mix of American, Spanish and French wood, and is bottled unfiltered.

Open now with decanting, though it will hold a decade or more. A natural match for roast lamb, jamón ibérico or aged Manchego; serve at 16-18°C.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.