Striking the right balance in Rioja Alavesa
What can El Sacramento, the flagship wine from Viñas Leizaola, tell us about the character of Rioja Alavesa? db explores the cuvée. The post Striking the right balance in Rioja Alavesa appeared first on The Drinks Business.
What can El Sacramento, the flagship wine from Viñas Leizaola, tell us about the character of Rioja Alavesa? db explores the cuvée.
Despite the name, El Sacramento, the Rioja Alavesa vineyard worked by Viñas Leizaola, is not a religious site. The Catholic moniker is a relic of its history. Dating to the 17th century, it refers to the original owners of the vineyard, the Brotherhood of the Santísimo Sacramento. Nowadays, the owner is instead Etienne Cordonnier, a fine wine broker-turned-producer.
Yet that notion of a sacrament is still helpful. In the Catholic Church – at least since the writings of Saint Augustine in the 5th Century – a sacrament has been defined as ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace’. Even for the irreligious, it is an elegant idea, suggesting the tangible evidence of something deep and mysterious.
What could be a better metaphor for wine? After all, the liquid that is enjoyed in sight, scent, feel and taste represents so much more: history, terroir, expertise and hard work.
In fact, El Sacramento 2019 acts as a perfect example of that sacramental quality. Through the wine, as poured in the glass, it reveals plenty of hidden qualities about Rioja Alavesa and the winemaker behind it.
Despite the name, El Sacramento, the Rioja Alavesa vineyard worked by Viñas Leizaola, is not a religious site. The Catholic moniker is a relic of its history. Dating to the 17th century, it refers to the original owners of the vineyard, the Brotherhood of the Santísimo Sacramento. Nowadays, the owner is instead Etienne Cordonnier, a fine wine broker-turned-producer.
Yet that notion of a sacrament is still helpful. In the Catholic Church – at least since the writings of Saint Augustine in the 5th Century – a sacrament has been defined as ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace’. Even for the irreligious, it is an elegant idea, suggesting the tangible evidence of something deep and mysterious.
What could be a better metaphor for wine? After all, the liquid that is enjoyed in sight, scent, feel and taste represents so much more: history, terroir, expertise and hard work.
In fact, El Sacramento 2019 acts as a perfect example of that sacramental quality. Through the wine, as poured in the glass, it reveals plenty of hidden qualities about Rioja Alavesa and the winemaker behind it.
The terroir
The El Sacramento plot bears many of the hallmarks of Rioja Alavesa terroir. It is situated at around 520 metres elevation, approximately halfway between the lowest vineyards near the River Ebro (at 400m) and the highest in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains (at 700m). Its situation thus offers the best of both worlds: phenolic ripeness that offers Tempranillo’s red fruit character in abundance but also freshness from the higher altitude site. As the Rioja subregion closest to the Atlantic, Alavesa also benefits from cool breezes from the north that further enhance the balance between ripeness, tannins and acidity. No wonder, then, that Cordonnier cites elegance as a hallmark of the wine. “Sacramento always has a style with gentle tannins, long and persistent, and the right balance between elegance and full body.” Yet it would be inaccurate to speak of a single, definitive terroir. Although there are commonalities across the site, it is a diverse site, situated on a geological fault. The vineyard therefore has a complex blend of limestone and clay throughout. Indeed, that complexity of terroir is key to the wine’s success. As Cordonnier explains: “The diversity in geology and climate, specific in Rioja Alavesa, is the guarantee for a long-lived wine.”The winemaking
As a starting point for vinification, only the finest grapes are selected for El Sacramento. A double selection helps identify the highest quality fruit, while the small 12 kilogram crates preserve its integrity. Winemaking then proceeds according to the complexities of El Sacramento’s terroir. With such diversity in the plots, vinification is done on a plot-by-plot basis. “Each plot has its own balance,” Cordionnier comments, “so we take care vinifying separately and assemble with the advice of Eric Boissennot.” The influential oenologist, whose consultancy work includes four of Bordeaux’s First Growth properties, has helped establish the El Sacramento style. The winemaking process is subtle, with the juice undergoing a gentle fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete tanks, with light pumping over twice daily. The wine is then racked into barrels for malolactic conversion before plots are blended together for ageing in French oak (50% new) over 15 months. It is, according to Cordonnier, a process designed to supplement the distinct qualities of Tempranillo in Rioja Alavesa. “As the king varietal here is Tempranillo, which is naturally elegant,” he says, “the main challenge is to find structure in vinification but care to protect the elegance. So we maintain classical fermentation controlling temperatures and 15 days of maceration. We rack directly into barrels and separate the press wine from each tank. Furthermore we reincorporate this press wine on tasting basis to find the perfect balance and elegance-structure.” The process says much about Cordonnier’s aspirations. El Sacramento is clearly intended for longevity in the bottle, yet his emphasis is that it should always retain vibrancy and elegance. “A great wine, if it is able to age,” he believes, “is not only very good, it is also emotional – if it is able to maintain the freshness of the fruit.”El Sacramento 2019
- Winery: Viñas Leizaola
- Region: Rioja Alavesa
- Vintage: 2019
- ABV: 14,5 %
- RRP:
- Residual Sugar: 1.3g/l
- Grape Variety: 100% Tempranillo
