Finca la Nación 2008

Origin

The vines are predominantly grown in the valley between the villages of Peñalba de San Esteban and Atauta. This wine has been created from grapes from the best quality small plots of less than one hectare, which are located on a steep hill called “Las Comarcas”.

Grape varieties

95% Tempranillo (70% from 10-year young vines and 30% from 90-year old vines) and 5% Garnacha old vines (100 years old) grown at an altitude of 950m.

Awards

Peñin Guide: Finca la Nación 2008 – 87 points

2012 Decanter Wine Awards: Silver medal

2012 International Wine and Spirits competition: Bronze medal

2012 Concurso Internacional de Vinos Bacchus: Silver medal in a Spanish wine competition.

Zarcillo silver in 2009 for Rudeles La Nación 2005
Zarcillo silver in 2009 for Rudeles La Nación 2006

Tasting notes

Rudeles Finca la Nación is an elegant award winning wine which displays an intense red cherry colour and garnet tinges. The attack on the palate is firm and rich, with good plum and cherry aromas, and chocolate, pepper and liquorice flavours. The acidity is well balanced and the oak, although noticeable, is nicely integrated displaying an elegant and soft texture with silky tannins.

Tasting note from Gérard Basset, the 2010  world’s best sommelier, Rudeles. Finca la nación , Ribera del Duero, 2008: The wine presents an intense ruby colour with little rim variation.  The nose is packed with ripe blackberry aromas supplemented by a very attractive touch of milk chocolate.   It is a powerful and smooth wine that would match to perfection a prime cut of hung beef such as a rib-eye steak.

Vinification

Manual picking into 12 kg boxes on September 28th.  The grapes are strictly selected both in the vineyard and at the selection table in the cellar.

The grapes are de-stemmed and the berries pressed for the alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and regularly pumped over 2 or 3 times a week.

Fermentation was temperature controlled at 25°, followed by 27 days of maceration.

Ageing

14 months in French oak (2nd year), medium grain and medium toasted followed by 1 year minimum in bottle before being released on the market.

Technical data

Alcohol level: 14.5%

Acidity: 4.7g/l

PH:

Finca la Nación 2008 technical data sheet