Around 30 grape varieties grow on the 10 hectares of vineyards at Barranco Oscuro. 31 is what Lorenzo Valenzuela once said a few years ago, but one or two may have been added in the meantime. The Valenzuelas try things out, see what suits their rather unique terroir best and have no fear of contact. They give virtually lost regional grape varieties just as much of a chance as the most famous and important international grape varieties in the world.
It is therefore a little surprising that it took Manuel Valenzuela over 15 years to plant Tempranillo, the most important Spanish grape variety, in the clay and slate soils around the winery in 1996. Since then, it has thrived there magnificently and provides the basis for the Varetúo, which, like every other wine from Barranco Oscuro, dispenses with technical sophistication, dramaturgical predictability and special effects.
In a nutshell, this means: no chemicals in the vineyard, spontaneous fermentation without temperature control, 12 months of ageing in wooden barrels and no additives during vinification.
Style
Fresh, powerful, mineral on the palate, red fruity, spicy and fleshy on the nose. Open and inviting from the first sip thanks to the absence of sulphur. Tight but mellow tannins. Straightforward, cool and structured. Finishes with a mineral and fruity flavour.
data sheet
- Grape variety: Tempranillo
- Crop protection: Only sulfur, copper and preparations on a vegetable or animal base, not certified
- Vineyard: Slate & clay, from different vineyards, all located between 1200 and 1300 meters above the sea
- Harvest: by hand,
- Fermentation: spontaneous | Wild yeasts, full grape pressing, 5 -day maceration, in the stainless steel tank
- Ageing: 12 months in the tonneaux
- Filtration: no
- SO₂: not sulphured
- Alcohol: 14%
- Closure: Natural corks
- Drinking temperature: 16-18 ° C
- Perfect drinking maturity: From now on - 2027
- Content and price per liter: 0.75 l/(€ 17.25/l)
