Rioja Single Vineyard El Tiznado 2020, Cuentaviñas

El Tiznado comes from a south-west facing vineyard planted in 1923 with closely-spaced Tempranillo vines showing great genetic diversity thanks to the ‘massale’ selection originally employed. The shallow sandy soil originated from the weathering of calcareous sandstone, and there is notable presence of iron oxides. Cuentaviñas was founded by Eduardo Eguren and Carlota González: fifth generation of the illustrious Eguren family, pre-eminent name in the wine world, which has accrued savoir-faire over the decades through such prestigious projects as Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos de Páganos and Teso la Monja. Eduardo felt the need to remain near San Vicente de la Sonsierra, town of his fathers, so with the characteristic patience required for anything that needs to be developed slowly, he and Carlota went on innumerable sorties to scour the local districts at the foot of El Toloño (mountain) to seek something that would fill them with enthusiasm. In the miniscule village of Peciña, they found the essence of what they were searching for. Like a journey to a wonderful old tale, its few streets preserve the essence of the past, with restored wine presses and and few, but beautiful, ancient stone houses. They also found the perfect link to the family’s history, since Edu’s maternal grandfather was nicknamed ‘el peciñero.’ It is not clear if they chose the place, or the place chose them.