Artuke | Rioja | El Escolladero | 2021 | 750ml | bio

Description

Product description for Artuke El Escolladero 2021 (bio)

Wine Information

El Escolladero comes from a 73-year-old blend of Tempranillo and Graciano. The 0.95-hectare vineyard is located at an altitude of 650 meters in the Rioja Alavesa, at the foot of the Sierra Cantabria. The soil is calcareous, as is typical for this region. The grapes are fermented with the stalks, and the wine matures for 12 months in 600-liter barrels. The Artuke winery classifies its wines according to the Burgundian model. The winegrower brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel Blanco classify their single-vineyard wine El Escolladero – alongside La Condenada – as a Grand Cru.

Colour

Crimson

Nose

The nose of El Escolladero is pure chalky minerality. There’s no makeup applied; this is Bauhaus instead of Baroque, and its simplicity is incredibly attractive. Although the wine is still (too) young, the nose is already an experience.

Palate

El Escolladero combines wildness and elegance like few Rioja wines. On the palate, the lean wine is racy and vibrant, but also very elegant and subtle. The fine tannins and zesty acidity run straight through the mouth, ensuring an extremely juicy and grippy finish. Overall, El Escolladero 2021 stands for impressive tension, precision, and intensity. Compared to the Artuke winery’s second “Grand Cru,” La Condenada, El Escolladero is perhaps not quite as complex and long, but it is even more uncompromising and clear.

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Keywords: Artuke El Escolladero 2021 bio Rioja Spain

Wine Advocate

Score: 96

El Escolladero is a vineyard planted in 1950 in the village of Ábalos at 660 meters in altitude. As with most reds, I tasted two vintages of it, 2021 and 2022. The 2021 El Escolladero, produced with 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano from the 0.96 hectares of vines, fermented with uncrushed grapes and matured in 600-liter oak foudres. It has the aromatic finesse of the 2021s, elegant, open, expressive, very clean, transparent and focused. The palate is beautifully textured, with very fine and elegant tannins and great freshness. 2,000 bottles were filled in December 2022.
Luis Gutiérrez

Vinous

Score: 96

Crafted from grapes harvested at optimal ripeness during a pristine vintage, the 2021 El Escolladero comprises 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano sourced from Ábalos, Rioja Alta. Aged for up to 12 months in French foudres, it reveals a deep purple hue and a reductive balsamic nose accented by blackberry, violet and grapefruit notes. On the palate, it offers a dry, juicy and chalky texture. Refreshing acidity and fine-grained tannins lead to a lingering finish—primary and intensely fruity. This wine epitomizes the new Rioja style, focusing on terroir-driven expressions from specific vineyard sites.
— Joaquín Hidalgo
Drinking window: 2024 – 2040
Review date: Apr 2024

Producer website: https://www.artuke.com/