2019 Vinateros Santos "Vila de Piedra", Castilla y León, Spain

ABOUT THIS WINE

A field blend of Mencia, Bastardo and the remaining 60% is a of mix between Rufete, Cariñena, Trincadeira, Juan García, Mandón, Tinta Jerónimo, Gajo, and Arroba. Whole clusters grapes are softly pressed, gently macerated, and fermented with natural yeasts in temperature-controlled concrete tanks, followed by malolactic fermentation in wooden casks. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Viñateros Santos wines are inspired by a shared passion for the wines of Zamora, a province located near the Toro DO. Drawing from her network built over two decades of living in Spain, Mayu Miller from Viña Franca works with talented winemakers to produce and bottle exclusive blends under the Viñateros Santos label. These special wines would normally be sold off to négociants or blended into larger cuvées. Even the label is a collaboration: the artwork is done by a friend of Eric at Coeur Wine (NYC), artist Liliana Velsasquez.

Viñoteros Santos wines are focused on cool-climate sites, complex soils, and old vineyards. That directed us towards the Castilla y Leon region, situated in the northwest of Spain. Castilla y Leon is located between Galicia, the Basque Country, and Madrid. The landscape is dominated by deep green woods, high mountains, and soils rich in minerals. The area suffered from huge migration after the Spanish civil war. People left old rural villages in search of well-paying jobs, and traded in their rural living for life in big cities. As a result, many of the vineyards were not hit by the “standardization” replanting to international varieties, which was common in the 1980’s, and instead, have been cared for by hand by the old locals.

For Viñateros Santos, we chose a handful of wines from the rocky hills of Zamora province, specifically near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Douro river. Tinta de Toro is the most famous grape variety in Zamora, but as it’s near Portugal, there are many old vineyards that have field blends of indigenous grapes, such as Bastardo, Merenzao, and beyond. All of the vineyards are looked after with organic farming and follow biodynamic principles. We are proud to offer these unique wines.