Castilla y León Flashcards
Where is Castilla y León located?
North central spain
Along the Duero river
Between Galicia & Rioja
What is the climate of Castilla y León
Continental
With extreme seasonality & diurnal shifts
What are the important geographical features of Castilla y León?
The Cantabrian Mountains creating a rain shadow
The high altitude meseta increasing diurnal shifts
The Duero river
What styles of wine are made in Castilla y León?
From what grapes?
Fresh whites of Verdejo & Sauvignon Blanc in Rueda
Dry reds of Tempranillo & Mencía, from young and fruity to serious & age worthy
What is Castilla y León’s relationship with oak?
The ageworthy reds often see some french or american oak
What are some synonyms for tempranillo in Castilla y León?
Tinta del País, Tinta de Toro
From east to west along the Duero, what are Castilla y León’s important wine regions? Are there any outlying the river?
Toro, Rueda, Ribera del Duero.
Bierzo! It’s more an eastern continuation on Galicia than part of Castilla y León.
What wines are made in Toro?
Reds based on tempranillo, often emphasizing ripeness & concentration
What wines are made in Ribera del Duero?
Mostly red blends based on tempranillo, from fresh fruity young wines to age-worthy in french & american oak
What wines are made in Rueda?
Fresh whites from verdejo & sauvignon blanc
What wines are made in Bierzo?
Reds based on Mencia that range from early-drinking to somewhat age-worthy.
What DO in Castilla y León has specific aging requirements for its wines that exceed the rest of spain’s?
Ribera del Duero, but it’s easy because they’re exactly the same as those for rioja’s reds : )
Crianza: 2 years total, 1 year in oak
Reserva: 3 years total, 1 year in oak
Gran Reserva: 5 years total, 1 year in oak
What are the 3 key producers in Ribera del Duero? Can you tell me anything about them?
Vega Sicilia: An extremely stylized winery that started in the 80s.
Pingus: Peter Sissek’s project creating utterly individual wines from old vines in Ribera del Duero, named after his childhood nickname. It’s a new wine (first vintage was 1996), and still evolving. He’s recently introduced organic viticulture & no longer uses any new oak. Flor de Pingus is his tete, from special terroir parcels.
Pesquera: One of the pioneers of the region, the Fernández family planted tempranillo vines back in the 70s when everyone else planted beet root & cereal grains. They even helped make RbD a DO in the 80s. Their estate focuses on silky, sexy, age-worthy tempranillo that developes complexity over years in neutral oak.
Who is the key producer of Bierzo?
Decendientes de J. Palacios: The passion project of french barrique dealer Alvaro Palacios, who chose Mencía & Bierzo because the cistercian monks had long identified it as the a beautiful grape and its perfect natural home. LG considers it the most interesting and promising wine project in Spain.
Who is the key producer of Rueda?
Bodega Martinsancho: Vidal saved Verdejo from extinction in Rueda, and went on to help make Rueda a DO!
