Majuelo del Chiviritero - Verdejo (22)

Verdejo | single vineyard 'El Chiviritero' | 1,1 ha met stokken geplant in 1981 | stening terroir bij La Seca | 750 meter hoogste | late pluk | koude inweking met de schillen voor zes uur 'maceration pelicular | volledig vergist en gerijpt voor 11 maanden op Frans eikenhout, 2e fill | diepe zuren | daarna nog 6 maanden in rvs | intens rijpe smaken | complexe wijn | romig | abrikoos | zilt | wilde bloemen | fijne bitter | productie van 4000 flessen 

Isaac Cantalapiedra

De familie Cantalapiedra bezit ongeveer 20 hectare in het gebied la Seca, op 750 meter hoogte en ten hoogte van Madrid. Manuel maakt deel uit van de huidige generatie en heeft een duidelijke visie; rijpere stijl Verdejo van biologische druiven. Daarnaast hebben ze drie single vineyards genaamd: 'Chiviritero', 'Los Picones' en 'La Otea' en sinds kort is hij ook begonnen met een project in Toro waar hij met de inheemse druif Tinto de Toro een hele fraaie rode wijn maakt. Inmiddels is de hele serie in ons assortiment en bijna niet meer weg te denken in de topgastronomie.

Review

The single-vineyard Verdejo 2021 Majuelo del Chiviritero comes from a plot planted by the family in 1981 on stony soils typical of La Seca on limestone soils, 2.5 hectares at 750 meters in altitude that deliver low yields of powerful and concentrated wine but with the energy and tension from the limestone. The juice from the direct pressing of the clusters fermented in used French oak barrels, where the wine matured for 11 months and then a further six months in stainless steel before being bottled. The nose is a bit reticent but soon reveals notes of tangerine peel and white flowers. It has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.18 and 5.6 grams of acidity, contained ripeness, good freshness and acidity, coming through as very balanced. It is tasty, textured, precise and fresher than ever. 13,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023. 93/100 Luis Gutiérrez

Cantalapiedra Viticultores is a family winery that was created in the village of La Seca in Rueda in 2014 in which two generations are working already. The winemaker is the young Manuel Cantalapiedra, who has also started a personal project. Most of their vines are in their village, 21 hectares planted with Verdejo. They have also bought some old, ungrafted vines, 0.4 hectares of 80-year-old vines in Alcazarén, 1.5 hectares of vines in Hornillos de Eresma and one hectare in Matapozuelos and 2.6 hectares on Toro. They have also rented old Garnacha in Villafranca del Duero and in Palacios Rubios, close to Arévalo, and they also work a centenary plot of Garnacha. So, they work a total of 30 hectares. Production is around 140,000 bottles. All of the wines are sold without appellation of origin, as Vino Varietal, like table wine where you can use vintage and variety.

2021 was a cooler year, but they don't want to talk about cold years anymore, so let's say a "normal" year of wines with more precision and freshness. 2022 was the warmest year they remember since they started in 2014. But the result is much better than expected; they got moderate alcohol because the plants got blocked, and they have the lowest alcohol in their wines ever. All of the wines are certified organic, all of the whites go through full malolactic, they use as little sulfur as possible, and none of the wines are filtered.