Description

Primera añada del monovarietal de Garnacha de un proyecto que nace con vocación de hacer grandes cosas en Rioja Alavesa de la mano de su impulsor, el joven Manu Michelini. Destaca por su gran elegancia y fluidez, con unas sugerentes notas de sotobosque y pétalos de rosa. Para su elaboración se utilizan fudres con un grosor importante, para añadir complejidad y reducir la microoxigenación.

Fiche technique

Le domaine
Dominio del Challao
Type de vin
Rouge
Millésime
2020
Alcool
12.5% vol.
Production
3.000 botellas
Sous-zone
Rioja alavesa
Cépage
100% Garnacha
Origine
Rioja

Dégustation

Température de service
Se recomienda servir a 16 ºC.
Garde
Hasta 2029 si se conserva en óptimas condiciones.

Vignoble et élaboration

Description
Viñedos situados en la zona central-norte de Labastida, a una altitud de 600 metros. Conducción en vaso.
Size
1 hectárea
Année de plantation
40 años.
Sol
Limo y arena con base calcárea.
Climat
Añada cálida con unos niveles de precipitación moderados.
Vendanges
La vendimia tuvo lugar el 4 de noviembre.
Vinification
70% del racimo entero pisado a pie. Despalillado (30%) pero no estrujado. Fermentación en cubas de hormigón durante 10 días, seguido de 60 días de maceración antes del prensado en una prensa neumática horizontal. Posterior fermentación maloláctica.
Elevage
Crianza de 20 meses en un fudre de 2000 litros de los bosques franceses de los Vosgos, seguido de 6 meses en botella.
Embouteillage
No se lleva a cabo filtración ni clarificación. Embotellado en junio de 2022.

L'avis des experts

The Wine Advocate:

The 2020 Challao Garnacha comes from a vineyard close to the Sierra Cantabria on silt-rich soils at high altitude that ripens late and produced a wine that has an incredible 12.5% alcohol but isn't green; the grapes are ripe and the flavors and aromas are developed, but the sugar doesn't go up, and they pick when the weather is going to change or the pH starts to go down. This has a pH of 3.3, which means lots of freshness. It fermented with 70% full clusters that are foot trodden and the rest of grapes destemmed but uncrushed, and all wines ferment with indigenous yeasts. The vinification is light but with a maceration of around 35 days. The wine matured in used 500-liter French oak for 20 months. The wine is surprisingly pale and delicate, aromatic and floral and in a style that is closer to the wines from Gredos than anything from Aragón or Priorat, or even Rioja, perhaps Valmira... It's delicate and fresh, but it has energy and inner strength and fine but incisive tannins. It develops more aromatic notes with time in the glass, herbs, but keeping the cool climate/Atlantic profile. A real surprise. 3,082 bottles and some larger formats were filled in June, a couple of days before I tasted it.

Tim Atkin:

Dominio del Challao is a very exciting joint venture between Carlos Fernández and the Argentinian Manu Michelini. This pure Garnacha comes from the high part of Labastida at 600 metres and was fermented with 50% whole bunches. Taut, mineral, long and focused, it combines pomegranate and redcurrant fruit with graceful, savoury tannins. 2023-30