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A Glimpse into the Bright Future of Rioja

by Hugh French | Aug 23, 2023
Artuke
"Artuke is a rarity in Rioja: a small, terroir-focused winery. Owned and run by brothers Arturo and Kike. Artuke only use grapes from their vineyards in and around the small town of Baños de Ebro, tucked under the Sierra Cantabria on the northern edges of Rioja.

The Artuke aim is simple: to make vibrant wines expressive of the village, uncluttered by oak, extraction or other artifice. The brothers farm organically and their elevated, cool climate vineyards produce wonderfully bright versions of Rioja." Importer Notes

Rioja's traditional Gran Reservas have long been admired for their intricate complexity, but a new movement by small growers like Artuke is making waves. These vintners are spotlighting Rioja's diverse terroir-driven wines, celebrating ancient vineyards and unexplored areas. Artuke earned acclaim, with their 2020 Rioja 'La Condenada' achieving a rare perfect score of 100 points from Tim Atkins MW in the 2023 Rioja Report – the first-ever for a Rioja red wine. The catch: these outstanding wines are produced, and therefore available, in tiny quantities.

All wines below are available now at our special offer prices for the next 7 days only. To place your order simply click on the links below or return the attached form, by email, by fax on 03 9419 6970 or call us on 03 9419 6990.

"From 40-50 year old vines of Viura, Malvasía, & Palomino Fino. Hand harvested, destemmed, and pressed into stainless steel tank for fermentation then aged on lees for 10 months, half in concrete and half in 500 litre French oak barrel. Clean pale yellow; elegant and complex with apple, citrus, flowers and minerality shining through." Importer Notes

 

2021 Rioja 'Finca de los Locos' LIMITED Usually $75 - Special Offer $67
"Finca de Los Locos is an old, single vineyard wine grown high on slopes of the Cantabrian mountians north of the town of Banos.

Arturo and Kike de Miguel’s grandfather planted the vines in the 1950s, though other farmers of the day thought he was mad to work such a difficult, rock-strewn slope when so much land was available on the flat plains of the Rioja Valley floor. Sixty years later however, this single parcel is consistently producing some of the finest examples of terroir-focused wine in the region.

Made with 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, Finca de Los Locos is black-fruited, decidedly cool climate and massively over delivers for the price."

Importer Notes
2021 Rioja 'Paso las Manas' LIMITED Usually $90 - Special Offer $82
"Artuke's Paso las Manas is a single vineyard wine that comes from a beautiful site tucked against the very edge of the Sierra Cantabria, right on the northern extreme of the Rioja Alavesa area.

It's position against the mountains means it's the last ripening, coldest site, and usually produces the highest acidity wine. It's soils are also completely inundated with big chunks of limestone that have made their way down the mountains in the preceding centuries, luckily though, and one of the reasons this site is so unique is that sits on a spur line, mean the water that runs off the mountain side is diverted to the side of Paso las Manas - had the vineyard been planted 200 meters to the side, the run off from the mountains would have made it a super high yielding but terrible quality site. As it is, even at this young age, it looks as if it could become one of the top cru's of Rioja."

Importer Notes
"El Escolladero's site sits above the town of Abalos, tucked against the mountains on a slight incline to the south east. It's a site that beautifully combines elegance and power; showing a array of dark red berry fruits against an incredibly pure, almost saline tang of minerality through it's core. Whilst it promises to improve over the years it's always a touch more open and accessible in youth than 'La Condenada' - not necessarily finer, but more hedonistic of the two.." Importer Notes
"It's dark, brooding and powerful Rioja whilst also somehow managing to maintain an beautifully fine structure. If Arturo and Kiki, as a lot of 'modernist' Rioja producers do, have chosen to organise their work around a Burgundian model, it's with wines like La Condenada and El Escolladero that you see Tempranillo at it's most transparent, it's most Pinot-like. In every vintage it's incredibly hard to pick a better wine between the two, but the consistency of personality is remarkable - where's Escolladero always throws off beautiful high toned fruit from day one; La Condenada broods, stays muted, needs time and air but patients becomes an immensely impressive wine." Importer Notes
These wines are available now at our special offer prices for the next 7 days only. To place your order simply click on the links above or return the attached form, by email, by fax on 03 9419 6970 or call us on 03 9419 6990.
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MW Wines 125 Cambridge Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066 T+61 3 9419 6990 F+61 3 9419 6970 www.mwwines.com.au Copyright © 2023 MW Wines Pty Ltd, All rights reserved.

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