El Vínculo Crianza

DO La Mancha

2013
2012

With a great dedication to quality control, Alejandro has made sure the wines he produces at El Vínculo, from the estate’s founding in 1999, are unique gems of D.O. La Mancha, where quantity often overshadows quality.

Tasting Notes

The 2013 Crianza has savory spice and smoke accents, with notes of plum and violet in the nose. Containing rich notes of ripe plums, toasted wood, fresh tobacco, barbeque spice and vanilla liquor, this wine is earthy and deliciously unique.

Vintage Notes

The 2013 vintage began with a very rainy and cold winter, which gradually gave rise to mild mid-spring temperatures during the month of April. The latter half of spring was drier than in previous vintages and led to a ‘perfect’ summer that was only interrupted by a few isolated storms, with relatively low humidity. Winemaker Eva Fernández describes wines produced from the highlands of La Mancha in 2013 as being ‘complex and full of acidity, with intense flavors that give way to cool sensations under the tongue.’ With a well-defined tannin structure and potent flavor profile, the 2013 El Vínculo contains a unique intensity that persists in the mouth long after it first stimulates the palate.

Winemaking Notes

Lying in the warmest region of the four Fernández estates, the grapes at El Vínculoare the first to be harvested. Each of the leased vineyard blocks are manually harvested towards the beginning of September and are vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation takes place between 6-10 days at an average temperature of 20-25°C. The ElVínculoCrianza is aged for 18 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 of aging and an additional 2-3 times before bottling. With the Fernández family dedicated to natural winemaking, all wines produced by the Fernández family are neither filtered nor fined before bottling and some sediment may be found in each bottle, which does not affect the quality of the wine. Upon completion of barrel aging, the El Vínculo Crianza is aged for a minimum of six months in bottle before it is released.

Technical Info

100% Tempranillo. Acidity 4.97g/L, pH 3.84, Alcohol 14.5%

Vineyard Notes

While on vacation to visit La Mancha’s emblematic windmills that inspired Cervantes to write Don Quixote, Alejandro was surprised to discover 100-year-old, head-pruned Tempranillo (aka Cencibel) vines amidst a sea of white Airén grapes. Convinced he must undertake one last bodega in the historic village of Campo de Criptana in La Mancha, El Vínculo was born. By signing long-term leases with the town’s three best grape growers, and carefully controlling both the yield (50% of fruit is dropped each year) and harvest time (his grapes are harvested two weeks on average after the rest), Alejandro ensured that the Tempranillo grapes he had discovered in La Mancha could result in wines that achieve his standards of excellence.

Tasting Notes

The 2012 Crianza has savory spice and smoke accents, with notes of plum and violet in the nose. Containing rich flavors of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, tobacco and nutmeg, this wine is refined and seamless.

Vintage Notes

2012 began with a cold and dry winter and, while snow fell in the highlands of La Mancha during January, February and March were much drier than in previous years. The deluge that hit central Spain in April also affected Castilla y La Mancha, and the old-vine Tempranillo purchased by the Fernández family was released from the hydric stress it had sustained from the year before. May and June contained ideal temperatures for the proper developments of the vines, the prelude to a typically hot and dry verano manchego, or sultry La Manchan summer. The tail end of August was slightly cooler than normal, providing an excellent phenolic maturation of the grapes prior to harvest.

Winemaking Notes

Lying in the warmest region of the four Fernández estates, the grapes at El Vínculo are the first to be harvested. Each of the leased vineyard blocks are manually harvested towards the beginning of September and are vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation takes place between 6-10 days at an average temperature of 20-25°C. The Crianza is aged for 18 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 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. Upon completion of barrel aging, the El Vínculo Crianza is then aged for a minimum of six months in bottle before it is released to the market.