Dehesa 14

Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, Castilla y León

2004
2002

In what is known as the wine country of Zamora, Familia Fernández Rivera planted tempranillo vines from Condado de Haza, restoring an ancient winery that it has now modernized and that includes an underground cave, which is over three hundred years old and is where its wines age in a perfect environment.

Tasting Notes

The nose contains tertiary aromas such as tobacco leaves, coffee and caramel notes. The palate is dense, it being a wide wine that evolves, presenting a range of tertiary aromas that are characteristic of its long bottle ageing process.

Food Pairings

Roast lamb and suckling pig, red-meat stews and small game such as pheasant in a plum sauce.

Winemaking Notes

Each year harvest begins towards the middle of September 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 and the finished wine is aged for a minimum of 18 months in fine grain, 225- and 300-liter neutral American oak barrels with a light-to-medium toast. Barrels are racked a minimum of three times during the first twelve months of aging and an additional 2-3 times before bottling. With the Fernández Rivera family is dedicated to natural winemaking, all wines produced are neither filtered nor fined before bottling. Unbound by the strict protocols that govern a Denominación de Origen (D.O.) in Spain, Dehesa La Granja may be aged and released any time the winemaker chooses. The 2004 Dehesa 14 is refreshingly fruit-forward for its lengthy aging of 24 months in barrel and close to sixteen years in bottle. We suggest that you decant forty-five minutes before tasting to avoid the sediment typical of a long ageing process.

Vineyard Notes

DESCRIPTION: Vineyards located in the southwest of the province of Zamora, on the Dehesa la Granja estate, with a total of 800 hectares of farming land devoted to livestock and various crops, of which 101 hectares are vineyards. SOIL: Formed of sediments of sandstone, clays and a mixture of limestones, which on the surface produce chalky soils. Silty and large and fine-grain sandy materials alternate. Vineyard altitude – 700-750m CLIMATE: Extreme continental climate With annual rainfall of between 300-400mm. Extremely cold winters. It receives a high number of hours of sunlight that give the grape its exceptional quality, which is essential for the production of these great wines.

Technical Info

100% Tempranillo Alcohol 14.5% Average age of vine: 25 years

The 1970’s brought the realization of a lifetime dream for a young and determined Alejandro Fernández. Propelled by his conviction that wines of superb quality could once again be made in the place of his birth, he went against the movement of the time, when cereal and beetroot dominated the Riberan hillsides, and planted Tempranillo vineyards in his hometown of Pesquera. In 1982, this iconic winemaking pioneer, who came to be recognized as the “Master of Tempranillo,” was the keystone in forming the now-famous D.O. Ribera del Duero, a designation that Alejandro helped to create with only a few other winemaking pioneers.

Tasting Notes

Dehesa 14 contains toasted wood aromas that combine with noble fruity hints of ripe black cherries, spiced plums and a mineral background on the nose. On the palate it is tasty, very fruity and has a well balanced tannic structure, and the finish is full-bodied wood and fruit.

Food Pairings

Semi-mature sheep cheese, poultry stews and gelatinous fish such as cod al pil-pil.

Vintage Notes

The 2002 vintage was characterized by a mild and wet climate, notable for having some of the heaviest rainfall of the last few decades. The favorable weather conditions after the first frosts promoted subsequent sprouting as well as advancing plant development and the ripening of the grapes. The weather conditions during the grape harvest were conducive to the hand harvesting of high-quality grapes from both a plant protection and an analytical point of view. Overall, 2002 vintage provided excellent quality and high yields.

Winemaking Notes

Each year harvest begins towards the middle of September 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 and the finished wine is aged for a minimum of 18 months in fine grain, 225- and 300-liter neutral American oak barrels with a light-to-medium toast. Barrels are racked a minimum of three times during the first twelve months of aging and an additional 2-3 times before bottling. With the Fernández family dedicated to natural winemaking, all wines produced by Alejandro Fernández are neither filtered nor fined before bottling. Unbound by the strict protocols that govern a Denominación de Origen (D.O.) in Spain, Dehesa La Granja may be aged and released any time the winemaker chooses. The 2002 Dehesa 14 is refreshingly fruit-forward for its lengthy aging of 24 months in barrel and close to sixteen years in bottle. We suggest that you decant forty-five minutes before tasting to avoid the sediment typical of a long ageing process.

Vineyard Notes

“Liberty” is the concept that inspires the winemaking, flora and fauna which prosper on this estate, purchased by Alejandro Fernandez in 1998. The 800-hectare Dehesa La Granja comprises olive trees, garbanzo bushes, cereal crops, rolling hills planted with 25-year-old Tempranillo vines and hundreds of heads of sheep and cattle. Inspired by the great terroir of Zamora, plus the 3,000m2 of underground tunnels found excavated underneath the farm, Alejandro knew he had discovered the winning combination of an ideal above-ground climate and soil for grape growing, along with a perfect underground climate and temperature for wine aging. Dehesa La Granja was thus founded and remains a fully functioning farm and winery, embodying the truly “free-range” Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León.