2019 Artadi San Lazaro (750ml)

Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain

B-21 Top Recommendation
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Crafted by the renowned 100 pt. winemaker known for putting vineyard-driven Rioja on the map, the rich and elegant 94 pt. 2019 Artadi Vinas de Gain is a Rioja lovers' dream, a beautifully crafted Tempranillo offering lush aromas and vivid, pure flavors with a velvety, uplifted finish, incredibly bargain priced for stocking up to enjoy often.

Founded as a local coop in Rioja Alavesa, Artadi has been transformed since the early 1990’s under the groundbreaking leadership of fourth generation winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, crafting the Bodegas’ first 100 pt. Rioja in 2004 and eventually leaving the Rioja DOC in 2015 to focus on its vineyard-expressive wines. Exhibiting the characteristic vibrant red fruit and dusty minerality that reflects its Alavesa terroir, the 2019 Vinas de Gain is sourced from Tempranillo vines ranging from 20 to 30 years of age, planted at altitudes between 450 and 700 meters in clay and limestone soils and all farmed organically. After overseeing the hand harvesting of grapes with strict selection, Juan Carlos aged the 2019 Vinas de Gain for 9 months in French barriques, yielding “a fresh, fruit-driven and juicy red” according to the Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez with smooth, silky tannins on a backbone of well-integrated oak.

From a Rioja vintage called “a perfect year” by Decanter’s Amaya Cervera, the outstanding 94 pt. 2019 Artadi Vinas de Gain reflects an undeniable pedigree, a pure expression of its unique Rioja Alavesa terroir meticulously crafted by one of Spain’s most acclaimed winemakers, an incomparable value for Rioja lovers and anyone looking for a deliciously satisfying red wine to reach for again and again.

97WA

96JS

The bottled 2019 San Lázaro delivered what the sample promised back in January. It comes from one of my favorite vineyards, a 1.62-hectare plot in Laguardia just below Bodegas Palacio that was planted in 1956 on limestone and sand soils that produce elegant wines. In the past, the vineyard contributed to the Pagos Viejos blend that has been bottled separately since 2016 and has quickly taken a leading position in the Artadi hierarchy. The wine is complex and nuanced, serious and insinuating, with fine aromas of herbs and flowers and a lively and balanced palate with ultra fine, abundant and chalky tannins. Superb! 2,000 bottles were filled in June 2021.

97 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Jul 2022)

Initially the aromas and flavours were quite Mediterranean with attractive dried herbs. However, it turns darker and darker with notes of oyster sauce, warm pebble minerality, mussels and smoked spices. Full-bodied and equally “dark” on the palate with a fresh array of herbs and blackberries. Tense and powerful, but so attractive! Tempranillo. From organically grown grapes. Better from 2026.

96 points, James Suckling (Oct 2022)

Alcohol By Volume: 14.5%

#ESARTE19DE

$99.98

Compare At: $109.99

4 bottles in stock. Ships in 1 to 2 business days.

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