A breath of fresh air in Rioja Alavesa
Breathe: Inhale, exhale, wait... and enjoy. You are about to discover the latest in Rioja Alavesa. Ready? Breath in.
Inh a le
We breathe the air from Sierra de Cantabria which protects our privileged land from the rains from the north. Mountain air, evocative and restless, bursts into the intimate calm of Torre de OĂąa leaving its imprint on our vineyards.
Winter
Spring
Summer
It was dry and not particularly harsh, with some light snowfall that barely covered our vineyards.
Bud break was irregular and green tips did not appear on the vines until the third week in April.
An irregular season, with highs ranging from 36° C to 19° C. This heterogeneity was reflected in the green shoots, which were smaller than usual.
February was also dry, though somewhat rainier.
With the arrival of June the weather improved, favouring flowering.
The vines were however still in need of water.
Fruit set concluded uniformly by the end of the month.
In Páganos, veraison took place between 8 and 11 of August, the hottest days of the month.
Autumn In September, both day and night temperatures fell, stabilising the vineyards. Some precipitation helped to refresh the canopies and balance ripening. This was corroborated with satellite photos, which showed that the “Martelo� areas had improved their plant expression, benefiting grape ripening. By mid-October, tests showed fantastic balance, very good acidity and alcohol, as well as a high aromatic intensity together with fine, delicate tannins.
E xha le
After more than 20 years of intense oenological work and knowledge of every inch of the estate, our winemaker Julio Sáenz carries out a selection of the best Tempranillos and other varieties which have grown feeling the palpitating land and the caresses of the Torre de Oña breezes. Now our best treasure is born: the “Martelo vintages”.
The Harvest We held on until the end as the juice continued to gain in aromatic intensity while alcohol and acidity remained practically unchanged.
The weather forecast from 10 October was not very encouraging, so we decided to pick immediately.
Clusters were loose and small, well distributed in the vine, well aerated, with moderate sun exposure, which benefited the grapes even more.
Vinification The 20 kg boxes of selected grapes were placed in cooling platforms until they reached 4º C. We destemmed and crushed the grapes and then put them in tanks. The grapes were vatted separately by plots. The grapes were cold soaked for five days at temperatures below 10° C with daily pumpovers. After removing the cooling unit, fermentation began. We decanted the wine to another tank to separate it from gross lees. The wines with the fine lees were put in American and French oak barrels. Subsequently, each plot went to a different tank. From here, it was a matter of seeing which batch was right for our “Martelo”.
Wa it
Ageing Final Tasting Malolactic fermentation took place in French and American oak barrels, lasting 78 days, with weekly bâttonages. After this time, all the wines from each plot were put in a single tank, the lees were removed and the wine was returned to the same barrels, to start the ageing process, which lasted 24 months, alternating new American oak (50%) and two-wine French oak. For bottling, we chose a special Burgundy bottle that contextualises even more a style that stands out for its colour, the freshness and delicacy of its aromas and a very enjoyable elegance, length and flavoursomeness in the mouth.
A magnificent balance between amiability and terroir.
Intense, medium-high depth, garnet red, clean and bright.
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Fruit-forward nose with dominating blackberries and forest berries against a backdrop of balsamic notes. Good structure in the mouth. Balanced with good acidity, elegant tannins and a long, pleasant aftertaste where the fruit and balsamic notes come up again.
E n joy
My opinion “Martelo is a new project requiring time. Time spent to study the estate; years invested to get to know the grapes and wines of each vintage. Time spent to find out how to best age this wine in barrels. Torre de Oña is not a uniform vineyard... nor is it easy. In my opinion, it behaves more like a small “Burgundy”. Each plot is expressed in a different way. Martelo reflects more of a Burgundian concept due to the orientation of the vineyard, the composition of the soil and the type of grapes it has. This is, above all, a wine to enjoy. It is a cherry-red wine, with a nose that stands out for its freshness and marked fruit expression and an elegant, amiable, mouth, with fine, delicate, understated tannins. I like it so. Martelo.”
Julio Sáenz, Winemaker
Martelo 2012 “A new style” James Suckling June 2017
93 JAMES SUCKLING
Finca San Martín - 01309 Páganos - Laguardia (Álava) - SPAIN Telephone: +34 945 621 154 - Fax: +34 945 621 171 www.torredeona.com - info@torredeona.com #MarteloWine