2018 San Lazaro
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Tasting notes
The bottled 2018 San Lázaro delivered all the promise of the unbottled sample. It's aromatic, fresh and clean, with energy and depth. It comes from a plot of 1.62 hectares planted in 1956 on sand and limestone soils. All the vineyards are vinified the same way, after a one to two-day cold soak, the wine fermented in open-top oak vats with indigenous yeasts for 10-12 days, during which time the grapes are foot trodden, and they do a short pump-over. It matured in barrique for nine months. This is all about finesse and elegance—it's all in the right place, and it's seamless, balanced and harmonious. It's just plain great. A very attractive vintage of San Lázaro. This is clearly Grand Cru quality. 2,000 bottles were filled in June 2020.
Critic scores
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.