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WINES OF SPAIN
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Finca Antigua
| Feen-Ka An-Tee-Gwa |
DO La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha), Spain
Finca Antigua sprang from the bosom of the Martínez Bujanda family, historic wine producers in DOCa
Rioja for 125 years. After the success of the Finca Valpiedra project (also in La Rioja), the family began
to look for a different region in which to continue their expansion. In 1998, they acquired an estate in
the heart of DO La Mancha, between Albacete and Cuenca, where they could make wines with a more
international style. This acquisition included 518 acres of vineyards made up of Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Viura grapes, then another 518 acres on which they incorporated the varieties
Garnacha, Moscatel Morisco, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay.
This 2,470 acre estate is located at 2,952 feet high on a plain surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation
and covered in Kermes oaks. This singular characteristic is reflected in its wines, which almost always give
off balsamic notes of rosemary, thyme and menthol. The altitude is also significant in that it hosts a broad
range of temperatures, a factor that favors the grapes’ proper ripening. The soil is poor in nutrients and
primarily comprised of loam and limestone. It supports the modern vineyard, with its vines trained onto
trellises to facilitate machine harvesting and getting the grapes to the winery in barely ten minutes’ time.
Finca Antigua classifies its land as an estate divided into small plots. Each space is tended individually
and by variety, and each plot and grape variety is made into wine and aged separately. The philosophy
behind Finca Antigua’s wines is clear: to obtain wines that are personal, but that have their own level of
standardization, with the objective of wines that are recognizable from year to year. Opened in 2003, the
modern winery’s interior combines artisanal designs befitting a family with a history of more than one
hundred years as winemakers, with the latest winemaking technology.
El Palomar Viura
This wine is 100 percent Viura, sourced from the El Palomar parcel of the Finca Antigua estate. The
grapes are harvested in early September and fermented in stainless steel containers for twenty-four days.
The wine is aged for four months sur lie, lending it a warmth and complexity. Medium-bodied, this wine
has moderate acidity and rich notes of white flowers, apple, honeysuckle, and jasmine.
2011:
91 WA
Las Escalerillas Tempranillo
This wine is 100 percent Tempranillo sourced from the twenty-one-year-old vines of the Las Escalerillas
plot in the Finca Antigua estate. At an altitude of 2,500 feet, cool nights and hot days create optimal
ripening conditions. The wine is aged for eight months in American oak. On the nose, it is clean and
bright with red fruit preserves, dried figs, and white chocolate. On the palate, it is full-bodied yet elegant
with a persistent finish.