About this WINE
La Legua
La Legua, Emeterio Fernandez's winery is located in DO Cigales, just 5 miles north of Valladolid, the capital of Castella-León, and north of Ribera del Duero. Wine has been produced here on the property for over 300 years. A modern winery has recently been built on top of the old underground cellars and tunnels of the original winery. The chief winemaker, Adolfo Gonzalez is one of the youngest and most acclaimed in the area.
Each of the parcels are vinified separately, including the many that make up the nearly 72 hectares of Tempranillo, known locally as Tinto Fina. The Garnacha is also vinfied according to parcel. Adolfo wants to present a pure, clean expression of the varietals, and as such, prefers unoaked bottlings.
The D.O. of Cigales, is gradually coming off the shadow of its illustrious neighbour, Ribera del Duero. Historically, the region has been known for blended rosados, but many pioneering estates like La legua are now taking advantage of low-yielding, old vines and modern wine-making methods to produce excellent value reds from Tempranillo and Garnacha.
Cigales
The region of Cigales is a prime example of the progress being made in Spanish winemaking. It has enjoyed the benefits of investment in modern technology and contemporary design, without abandoning its inherent, distinctive, traditional character.
Lying to the north-west of Ribera del Duero, Cigales was long known for its excellent rosés but is now earning a fine reputation for its splendid red wines, made predominantly from Tinto del Pais (as Tempranillo is locally known) supplemented by Garnacha and/or Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are powerful and robust with generous, ripe fruit and polished tannins.
Recommended producer: La Legua
Tempranillo/Tinto Fino
A high quality red wine grape that is grown all over Spain except in the hot South - it is known as Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepenas and Ull de Llebre in Catalonia. Its spiritual home is in Rioja and Navarra where it constitutes around 70% of most red blends.
Tempranillo-based wines tend to have a spicy, herbal, tobacco-like character accompanied by ripe strawberry and red cherry fruits. It produces fresh, vibrantly fruit driven "jovenes" meant for drinking young. However Tempranillo really comes into its own when oak aged, as with the top Riojas where its flavours seem to harmonise perfectly with both French and American oak, producing rich, powerful and concentrated wines which can be extraordinarily long-lived.
In Ribera del Duero it generally sees less oak - the exception being Vega Sicilia where it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and then aged for an astonishing 7 years in oak and is unquestionably one of the world`s greatest wines.
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Description
We always love this wine; its unpretentious come-hither aromatics and ripe, but not over-played sweet fruit palate are constructed on a bed of spicy tannin and crisp acidity. Look no further for midweek gratification, possibly in front of an Almodovar boxed set.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer
La Legua is located in Cigales, just five miles north of Valladolid, the capital of Castile & León, and north of Ribera del Duero. The D.O. of Cigales is gradually coming out of the shadow of its illustrious neighbour. Historically, the region has been known for blended rosados, but many pioneering estates like La Legua are now taking advantage of low yielding, old vines and modern winemaking methods to produce excellent value reds from Tempranillo and Garnacha.
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