The year began with normal winter conditions, followed by a mild spring with the occasional frost in the month of May, which caused no serious damage to the crop. It was generally a dry year, particularly throughout the vine cycle, which impacted vine vegetation growth and the size of the bunches and berries. Temperatures during the period of ripening were very favourable with pronounced diurnal temperature variation, a special feature of the Ribera climate and which enabled our Tempranillo to reach wonderful levels of phenolic ripeness. The occasional rain shower in September slowed down the final stage of ripening but had no adverse effect on the quality of the grapes. All of these conditions combined to produce a high quality vintage that was harvested on the usual dates.

AGEING: At least 14 months in 225-litre American oak barrels, then in bottle before being released onto the market.

SOURCE OF GRAPES: Selected from vines situated within the Pesquera de Duero municipality at an altitude of over 800 metres and with a south-facing exposure (see vineyard).
SOIL TYPE: Poor, very pebbly soils over a clay sub-soil.

VARIETAL: 100% Tempranillo
ALCOHOL: 14.5%.

2018 began with a typically cold Ribera del Duero winter, during which temperatures dropped to as low as 12°C below zero. This cold weather continued right through to the beginning of spring, and yet, despite the conditions, bud-break in the vines occurred within the usual dates at the end of April. After a very dry 2017, a period of wet weather occurred at the end of winter, and then it rained continually throughout the spring, so much so that 2018 went down in the region officially as a very wet year. Vine vegetation growth was favoured by the mild temperatures and the water reserves in the soil, which led to considerably larger-sized berries. As a consequence of this increase in berry size, and despite higher than usual temperatures during September and October, the ripening process slowed. The harvesting stretched out until the end of October and produced an outstanding crop both in terms of quantity and quality. The absence of rainfall in the latter part of the growing season also ensured that healthy grapes were harvested. The 2018 was in fact the second largest crop on record, only surpassed by that of 2016.

Close to 50% of fruit is dropped each year before harvest and all vineyard blocks are vinified separately in small stainless steel tanks in order to ensure optimum wine quality. Alcoholic fermentation takes place between 6-10 days at an average temperature of 20-25°C. Finished wine is aged for 24 months in fine grain, 225- and 300-liter neutral American oak barrels with a light-to-medium toast. Barrels are racked four times during the first twelve months and an additional 2-3 times during the second year of aging. With the Fernández Rivera family dedicated to natural winemaking, all wines are neither filtered nor fined before bottling. Upon completion of barrel aging, the Tinto Pesquera Reserva is then aged in bottle before it is released to the market

Tinto Pesquera’s 200 hectares of vineyards lie near the Duero River at close to 2,400 feet in elevation. The vines grow in poor, well-drained soils, composed of sand and gravel over a limestone and clay subsoil, and are naturally irrigated with water from the nearby Duero River. Tinto Pesquera’s vines are located within the province of Valladolid, in the heart of Ribera del Duero, which has hot summers, incredibly cold winters and extreme diurnal temperature differences that create an ideal combination for producing silky and sumptuous Tempranillo wines. The Tinto Pesquera Reserva is made from estate-grown, 40-year-old vines that produce a limited production of only two kilos per vine.

100% Tempranillo Alcohol 14.5%.