Cuentaviñas Los Yelsones 2022
HK$ 1,923.83
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Los Yelsones is Tempranillo from a vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra that was planted in 1970 in the higher part of the village, in the paraje or lieu-dit of La Rad at 550 meters above sea level. The soil has abundant blocks of calcium carbonate that they call 'yelsones,' which gives the wine its name. It fermented with destemmed grapes and matured in 500-liter French oak barrels for 14 months, shorter than in some previous vintages. It has a moderate 13.5% alcohol and a perfumed nose, with flowers and red and black fruit, some integrated spices and a hint of smoke. It's medium-bodied, with very fine tannins and a harmonious mouthfeel and texture. 2,408 bottles were filled in June 2024.
Features
Type of wine
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
14.0%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Harvest by hand, selection table, alcoholic fermentation in French oak vats with destemmed grapes and skin soaking for 28 days. Malolactic fermentation and aging for 18 months in used 500-liter French oak barrels.
Description
In the heights of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, where the Rioja becomes austere and vertical, Cuentaviñas Los Yelsones is born, the most intimate reflection of the La Raz vineyard. This unique site sits on soils of moraines and limestone blocks -the "yelsones" that give the wine its name-, on a north-facing slope that defies the logic of sun exposure, but gains in freshness, tension and elegance. The Cuentaviñas project is the personal commitment of Eduardo Eguren, fifth generation of one of the most illustrious families in Spanish wine, who decided to break with comfort and start from scratch, without a logo, without a visible winery, but with an unshakeable conviction: to let the vineyard do the talking. And it does. With a single variety, Tempranillo, Eduardo recovers traditional practices: ploughing with mules, manual selection and minimal intervention, because he believes that great wines are not made, they are cultivated.
Winemaking
The Cuentaviñas Los Yelsones grapes are harvested by hand in small boxes, with double selection in the vineyard and in the winery. The grapes are gravity vatted in 3,000 litre French oak vats, where they ferment with indigenous yeasts. Extraction is minimal, almost ethereal, with delicate punch-downs and long macerations of over three weeks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new 500-litre barrels, where the wine remains for 18 months. The whole process is carried out unhurriedly, with patience, and culminates with a rest in an 18th century underground cave, where the cold and humidity naturally stabilise the wine before bottling.
Taste
Cuentaviñas Los Yelsones is a Tempranillo that is disarming in its purity and precision. The nose displays vibrant complexity: black fruits - plum, blackberry, pomegranate - intertwine with cocoa, tobacco leaf and a balsamic echo of thyme and lavender. Nothing is overdone; everything is subtle, elegant, restrained. The palate is surprisingly vertical on the palate: a smooth entry, firm but ripe tannins, and a sharp acidity that adds energy and persistence. The oak is intuited in the texture, never in the flavour. As it opens up, notes of graphite, damp earth and black cherry appear. The finish is long, saline, marked by that chalky minerality that only certain vineyards manage to convey. It is not a wine that seeks to please, but to provoke: it invites to silence, to slow thought, to leisurely enjoyment. A Rioja without make-up, which speaks softly but leaves a deep impression.
Shipping to Hong Kong
Estimated transit time: 3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Complete box |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 6 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 7-11 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 12 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 13-17 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 18 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 19-23 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 24 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 25-29 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 30 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 31-35 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 36 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 37-41 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 42 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 43-47 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 48 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 49-53 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 54 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 55-59 bottles | HK$ 139.70 | 60 bottles, Free shipping! |
