SEÑORIO DE ANDION

Brand 

SEÑORIO DE ANDIÓN

Type of Wine 

RED, NAVARRA DENOMINACION DE ORIGEN

Grape Varieties 

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Graciano.

Volume  

A limited series of 49,975 bottles with a capacity of 75 cl.each.

Vineyards 

Developed with the most rigorous selection  of grapes, which come  from very  old vineyards with a very low yield, where intensive work is carried out throughout the growing cycle in order to  reduce the production even more and thus guarantee the excellent, final quality of the grape. Moreover,  there is  continuous monitoring of  the  ripeness of each specific parcel, not just the alcoholic ripeness, but mostly the polyphenolic  one  (grape  skin  and  seeds )  in order  to establish the optimum harvest time.

Harvest  

The harvest is always done manually, using low capacity boxes, and it  is carried out at dawn,  thereby taking   advantage of the coolest  hours of  the day and making a careful selection on the vine  itself of those bunches  that are perfectly healthy and ripe. The  grapes  are moved to the  winery  quickly in small lots,  in order to keep the grapes in perfect condition and to guarantee a low entry temperature into the  winery. Another  manual  selection  is  made prior  to  destemming the grapes,  thereby  eliminating any bunch that is not suitable and eliminating  the  remains  of  any leaves  and  branches. After  destemming, the various batches of grapes, separated not Only  by  varieties but  also  by  estates  of  origin, are  put  into separate tanks by hand, thereby assuring the complete traceability of the wine, from the vineyard to the final bottling.

Alcoholic Fermentation 

Fermentation  takes  place in stainless steel tanks with  small capacities(15,000litres), which are equipped with a dual water-circulation  system for cooling or  heating each tank,  thereby guaranteeing absolute control over the process. After cold pre-fermentative maceration for approximately 5 days Al 14ºC,  the temperature is slowly  raised until fermentation Starts, the  must  reaches a  maximum temperature of 30º and throughout this process there are continuous rackings. Subsequently, post-fermentative maceration takes place, which exceeds 30 days and ensures that the maximum extraction and concentration are obtained.  As  a result, the total time that the Must/ wine  remains  in contact with  the grape  skins can vary Between 45 and 60 days.

Malolactic  Fermentation

After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is emptied from the tank  directly  into  new,  French oak barrels with a medium toasting and which come from various, selected suppliers. The malolactic fermentation takes place in These barrels in rooms with temperature and humidity control. Throughout this entire process, strict control is maintained of the wine in each barrel, thereby identifying each barrel by not only the  grape variety  but  also by the  specific estate  from which it comes. At the end of the malolactic fermentation, each barrel is individually tasted in order to confirm that the evolution of the wine is perfect in each one.

Ageing 

The final blending takes place immediately, which always seeks the greatest complexity, intensity and concentration. The wine is returned to the barrels once it has been combined. The wine is duly Aged in new barrels of French oak, with a medium toasting. Close Follow-up  of  the  wine´s  evolution  is  performed   through continuous tasting, thereby deciding on the necessary racking and the    optimum  moment for  final  removal,  without taking  into account any  rules  about the  time for  keeping  the  wine  in the barrels. With  regard to the 2001 vintage, the total time in barrels was 15 months.

Bottling  

As   with   the  previous  stages ,  the  process  prior  to  bottling endeavours to maintain the  characteristics of the wine´s integrity without subjecting it to any aggressive  filtering or  stabilisation process, just clarifying it lightly with natural egg whites. It  is  important to take into account that no cold process has been Carried out with  this wine in  order to  force  the precipitation of potassium  bitartrate, a  substance that is found naturally in wine. It is  therefore  possible that there could be some precipitation of crystals over time, perhaps tinted with colorant material. This will never pose a problem for drinking Señorio de Andión. Finally , the wine  is bottled at low speed, in a  heavy, conical  Bordeaux bottle personalised with  the  shield  of  the Velasco family and using an extra-long, top-quality  natural  cork. The  wine  will remain in the bottle cellar and will be tasted regularly so that its commercialisation Starts at the right time.

Tasting Notes 

The  result of this careful process is a wine that presents an a deep and  attractive  dark cherry-red colour, highly intense,  with purple reflections around the edge.
A complex  and  powerful  bouquet, with  great  elegance,  thereby showing an  intense aromatic range of mature red fruits, with tones of  gooseberries  and  blackberries,  together with brilliant balsamic tones and a hint of minerals. Very  flavourful , solid  and  expansive,  with  great  body  and concentration, and  ample  fruitiness, it  is outstanding  for  its  great structure and lively, soft tannins. Andión is simultaneously powerful and elegant, a wine of great character and long life.