Botella Cerro La Isa Garnacha
  • Alcohol: 14,5%vol.
  • pH: 3,39
  • Total acidity: total 6,6g/lT H2; volatile 0,45g/lAcH
  • Total sulfur: 20 mg/l
  • Residual sugar: 1,6 g/l

Download PDF

Cerro la Isa Viñedo Singular Garnacha 2017

Cerro la Isa wines are made with the best grapes selected during the harvest of the old gobelet-trained vineyards that Juan Carlos Sancha’s great-grandfather planted 113 years ago for his son, upholding a long-standing tradition in Rioja.

This petite jewel of a plot occupies just 1.7 hectares tucked away on a slope that enjoys perfect southern exposure on an impressive grade at 700 metres above sea level overlooking the upstream valley of the Najerilla river (called Alto Valle del Najerilla by locals) in Baños de Río Tobía.

The vineyard’s extremely limited yield and exacting selection process have resulted in
a production of only 600 bottles for this inaugural vintage. This wine is one of the few that has been awarded the distinction of Viñedo Singular upon this historic first classification in Rioja.

Tasting Notes: Its noteworthy purple colour is very intense. Fruity with notes of liquorice and iodine. Its very full-bodied and structured palate is complex, with silky, elegant tannins that perfectly balance its acidity. Very persistent on the palate. On the nose, peach and cookie-like notes stand out from well-integrated oak. On the palate, this wine is very full-bodied and satiny. Its tart, fresh quality is very well-structured and remarkably persistent.

The Vineyard:
Classified as a unique Viñedo Singular vineyard. Planted in 1906 in a square “marco real” grid pattern measuring 1.4 by 1.4 hectares. Located on a parcel with perfect southern exposure on a 40% grade at 700 metres above sea level in shallow, nutrient-poor soil whose strong limestone-clay character is accented by a high iron content.

Climate:
The Alto Najerilla area is known for its particularly chilly winters, balmy summers and long, mild autumns whose stark differences between day and night time temperatures create perfect conditions for slow ripening, well-synthesised polyphenols and highly-developed berry aromatics.

Harvest:
Hand-picked grapes were carried in 15-kg boxes during the last (second) week of October. Extremely limited yield of 2,500 kg per hectare.

Winemaking:
After each grape was destemmed by hand, they were all placed in 500-litre premium Tronçais French oak barrels for alcoholic fermentation.

Ageing:
Wine aged for 18 months on its lees in the same 500-litre barrels where it fermented in some of France’s best oak.

Vintage:
The 2017 vintage was classified as “Very Good”. In the Alto Najerilla region, this year saw the earliest harvest in the history of Rioja. Frosts at the end of April, sparse rainfall and significantly higher-than-average temperatures meant a lower yield from the vineyard, one factor that contributed to the creation of an excellent, high-quality wine.

Production:
600 bottles.