Valdechuecas Viñedo Singular 2019

Vintae has introduced Viñedos El Pacto, a step forward on its journey back to its founders' roots. El Pacto is, in its promoters' words, “a look at the roots of the house, at village wines, at the purest Riojas”. El Pacto opens with four wines: Valdechuecas and Riojanda, classified as Viñedo Singular, and El Pacto de la Sonsierra and El Pacto del Alto Najerilla , labelled as village wines.

Vintae CEO Richi Arambarri and the company's winemaker, Raúl Acha, are leading the project, which for them is a commitment to their ancestors, people who preserved a precious winegrowing heritage, protecting it from uniformity and industrialisation.

The stars of the Viñedos El Pacto project are two Viñedo Singular wines, Valdechuecas and Riojanda, two reds marked by the character of the land they come from. Valdechuecas is made with 10% destemmed grapes, with the must fermented in concrete, where malolactic fermentation also takes place. It then ages for about twelve months in a 2,400-litre foudre. Riojanda goes through malolactic fermentation in French oak and ages in 500-litre French barrels for up to 18 months. Only 700 bottles of 75 cl were produced, and 30 magnums.