Señorío de San Vicente "San Vicente" Rioja DOCa 2019
(Rioja, Spain) - [VM 95] [WA 94] [WS 93]

Winemaker Notes:
In the early 1980’ s, Marcos and Miguel Angel Eguren requested that their father scour the family’ s 100 Ha of vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra for the lowest yielding individual vines of Tempranillo. In 1985, the family planted the 18 Ha. La Canoca single vineyard in San Vicente to a massal selection of these low yielding plants. As the vineyard took shape, the vines all shared similar ampelographic characteristics – smaller berries, looser clusters, and a velvety bloom on the subsurface of the leaves. The family was mocked for planting a selection of their “ worst vines.” When the first vintage of San Vicente was commercialized almost 10 years later, the family endured more derision when the wine was priced above any Reserva in the appellation. The following year, the wine was released without ageing classification, becoming Rioja’ s first single cru ageing declassified wine. For lovers of the Eguren family’ s wines, San Vicente tends to elicit a special emotion as one of Rioja's first exhaustive projects to release a premium cuvée that expressed the character of a specific vineyard cru. Today, San Vicente is recognized as one of the appellations most important modern classics.

Technical Information:
Location & Vineyard: San Vicente de la Sonsierra, La Rioja, La Canoca Single Cru

Viticulture: Practicing organic dry farmed viticulture with certain selective biodynamic practices. Vineyards trained as spur-pruned goblet vines as well as high density trellises. Manual work and harvest, with no mechanization whatsoever.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 San Vicente is 100% Tempranillo Peludo, a variety distinguished by its velvety leaves. Sourced from the San Vicente vineyard in the Canoca Valley, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, it aged for 20 months in French (90%) and American (10%) oak barrels. This purplish wine features minty and balsamic aromas along with notes of cassis, sour cherry and candy, edged with hints of rosemary. Dry, chalky and fairly rich, the edgy, fine-grained, reactive tannins elevate a structured mouthfeel. A nuanced and intense Rioja wine, the San Vicente has defined the modern style in the region since its very first vintage in 1991." - Joaquin Hidalgo (Apr 2024)

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2019 San Vicente was produced with Tempranillo Peludo, a special strain of Tempranillo planted from a massale selection in 1985 in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Like all their reds (except the carbonic maceration ones), the destemmed grapes fermented in French oak vats, and the wine matured in new oak barrels (90% French, 10% American) for 20 months. This wine is quite regular, and I found similar wines in 2019 and 2018, the two vintages that I tasted together, combining power and elegance and juicy fruit with good ripeness but without excess and good acidity and balance and fine-grained tannins. 41,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2021." - Luis Gutiérrez (July 2022)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Offers hints of black licorice and violet that are an enticing aromatic overtone, leading to fruit flavors of plumped black cherry, black plum reduction and fig cake. This red's rich profile is underscored by subtle, savory base notes of medicinal herbs, iron and smoke set on a seamlessly knit, medium- to full-bodied frame. Lush and silky in texture, with supple tannins firming the finish. Drink now through 2029. 4,000 cases made, 750 cases imported." - Alison Napjus (July 2023)