Artadi Viña El Pisón 2015/2016/2018

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 developed by the visionary producer, Juan Carlos López de Lacalle.

Artadi was founded as a cooperative in 1985, but it wasn’t 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 Rioja’s pioneers in implementing modern winemaking techniques, Lacalle drastically reduced vineyard yields, introduced French oak and malolactic fermentation in wood. Focusing solely on the quality and age of his vineyards, he set aside Rioja’s normative mandates that required long years of aging in large wooden tanks to earn Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva classifications. 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.

During my tour of Rioja, I got to know the winery and Juan’s philosophy of making authentic wines that directly express the characteristics of the people and the region where they are produced. Currently, Lacalle’s goal is to adopt organic practices in all of his vineyards, although the goal is not to obtain certification.

Artadi has vineyards and wineries in the regions of Navarra (Artazu) and Alicante (El Seque), but it all began in Rioja. The winery has 70 hectares of vineyards – with a good portion of old vineyards, such as El Pisón – located in privileged areas of Rioja Alavessa. The soil in this region is poor, with very particular characteristics, being essentially clayey limestone; the altitude and the climate with more moderate temperatures help to bring more elegance to the wines. It is no coincidence that the Tempranillos from this area are among the most extraordinary and complex in the world.

Don’t expect anything obvious; Artadi’s wines always have great depth and complexity. Viña El Pisón, for example, is an extraordinary single-vineyard tempranillo from vines planted in 1945 on sandy and limestone soils that often earns very high scores from Robert Parker. Another label, Grandes Añadas, is produced only in the best vintages, using grapes from vineyards over 70 years old; Pagos Viejos, on the other hand, is made from vineyards over 50 years old. Vinas de Gain, also 100% tempranillo from vineyards around 25 years old, is aged in 40% new French oak for 12-14 months.

Artadi El Pisón 2015 is a mature, complex and deep red wine. Exuberant on the nose, with notes of ripe red fruits and very distinct mineral notes wrapped in subtle toasted notes. On the palate it is powerful and vibrant, revealing delicate austerity, very round and with an eternal finish.