97 points James Suckling, 97 points José Peñín, and 94 points Robert Parker
Located in the heart of Rioja Alavesa, in the beautiful medieval village of Laguardia, we find Artadi, one of the most acclaimed Spanish wineries today. Artadi wines are today among the best wines in Spain, and much of this success is the result of the work of the visionary producer, Juan Carlos López de Lacalle. Artadi was founded as a cooperative in 1985, but it was not long before it became a private company in 1992. Lacalle's dreams were obviously ambitious, and his wines soon began to rank among the best in the country. One of the pioneers of Rioja to implement modern winemaking techniques, Lacalle drastically reduced the yield of his vineyards, introduced French oak and malolactic fermentation in wood. Focusing solely on the quality and age of his vineyards, he set aside the normative commandments of Rioja that advocated long years of wine aging in large wooden tanks to earn classifications of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. For Juan Carlos, there is no point in obeying the rules of the designations of origin if the winemaker does not truly believe in the quality of his wines.
Country: Spain
Region: La Rioja
Type: Red
Vendor: Artadi
Winemaker: Juan Carlos López de Lacalle / Jean-Francois Gadeau
Castes: 100% Temperanil
Alcoholic Content: 14.5%
