|
B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
San Vicente is as unconventional a project as you'll find in Rioja. When the Eguren family ripped up their vineyard in the early 1980s and replanted it with a massale selection of clones from their lowest-yielding vines, the consternation and ridicule came from all corners of the region. But he who laughs last laughs best, and now the Eguren family's efforts have been totally vindicated, as the wine is coveted Rioja collector's treasure year in and year out.
"A nuanced, modern Rioja, this wine is a masterpiece of Marcos Eguren's winemaking technique—a truly elegant Tempranillo."- Joaquin Hidalgo,Vinous
At its debut one of the first single-cru bottlings that Rioja had ever seen, San Vicente has changed the region's dynamics over the past few decades, with numerous producers now following the Eguren family's lead and going for a site-specifi, terroir-driven approach to their wines. A true original and still one of the best, San Vicente has once again stunned critics left and right in the 2020 vintage, a "pure, clean, incredibly impressive Rioja" per Jeb Dunnuck's 96-point review, one of a pair along side that of Vinous'Joaquin Hidalgo. The wine's refined, modern style and impeccable class have garnered the San Vicente a devoted following that will no doubt go head over heels for this latest expression, especially at our unmatched private client price that beats the rest of the market by a wide margin. |
|
If there is a wine that embodies the terroir-driven focus since the 1990s, it's San Vicente. The 2020 San Vicente is 100% Tempranillo Peludo, distinguished by its velvety leaves. Sourced from the San Vicente vineyard in the Canoca Valley, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, it aged for 20 months in French (90%) and American (10%) oak barrels. This purplish wine offers ripe black fruit aromas and wild herb notes against an oak backdrop. Dry, juicy and taut, the light and fine-grained tannins linger long. A nuanced, modern Rioja, this wine is a masterpiece of Marcos Eguren's winemaking technique—a truly elegant Tempranillo.
96 points, Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous (Apr 2024)
Coming all from a massale selection of Tempranillo (Peludo Tempranillo) and aged 20 months in new barrique, the 2020 San Vicente is deep purple-hued and reveals a beautiful nose of cassis and assorted darker, almost blue fruits supported by classy oak, graphite, and crushed stone-like minerality. It's beautifully concentrated, medium to full-bodied, has fine tannins, and a great finish. This pure, clean, incredibly impressive Rioja will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades.
96 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Jul 2024)
A plush, complex Rioja with powdery tannins that coat the palate nicely. Deep nose with lots of blackberries, Mexican chocolate, iodine and fine spices. Excellent quality and quantity of tannins that melt away with the ripe but fresh fruit. Very long and tight but really silky. Drink or hold.
94 points, James Suckling (Aug 2024)