La Legua Capricho, Cigales, Spain

拉雷瓜酒莊卡普里科紅葡萄酒

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：717

The 2009 Capricho is Tempranillo from their oldest vineyard, from an extremely dry harvest that is barrel-fermented and aged for 20 months in wood. It seems to be a powerful, concentrated and ambitious red with dark berry aromas intermixed with organic notes of peat, forest floor and strong aromatics of fountain pen ink and graphite with plenty of spicy undertones. The palate is medium-bodied, but the fruit is receding and the drying tannins are taking over the wine, so I’d opt for drinking it sooner rather than later. Only 1,000 bottles were produced. This is a wine that is only produced in exceptional vintages. Drink now-2015. I hear about a generational replacement and a change of winemaker at La Legua, one of the classical names in Cigales. Are the winds of change blowing? We’ll see in the following years. No known American importer.

The top wine, which is produced in exceptional vintages, is the 2007 La Legua Capricho. It comes from the oldest plot of Tempranillo: two hectares of 88-year-old vines whereby the grapes are selected individually at the winery. It is transferred into 500-litre Hungarian barrels for fermentation, then French and American 225-litre barrels for malolactic, and finally Hungarian barrels during maturation (80% new). It has a beautiful bouquet of pure red berry fruit – red currant, pomegranate, raspberry preserve and wild strawberry that is sedate and mellow. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. The oak is well-integrated with a spicy note at the tip of the tongue on the entry and then after that, the Capricho has a melted quality – very refined and seductive with a caressing, unpretentious finish. This is not cheap, but it must surely represent one of Cigales’s finest wines. Drink now-2018. While I am accustomed to music being piped into barrel cellars to “calm” the wines during their maturation, my visit to Bodegas La Legua marked the first occasion where the music was “l(fā)ive.” One hopes that the guitarist, strumming away on his electric guitar on his portable amp, is allowed out for air once in a while. In the 1970s, Bodegas La Legua was the first winery in Cigales to plant red varieties only, and to this day they are one of the few to eschew rose. Proprietor and neurologist Emeterio Fernandez owns 80 hectares of vine around the winery, which is sub-divided into six-hectare parcels. The average age of vine is 35 years, and they produce around 250,000 bottles per year. For those that have never tasted Cigales wine before, La Legua offer a perfect, affordable introduction to its delights with a superb portfolio that I found beautifully crafted, natural and refined. Importer: Steve Berardi, Denver, CO; (303) 329-3180; and Berry Brother & Rudd (UK).

The 2006 Capricho is 100% Tempranillo from the estate’s oldest vines and with individually selected bunches. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation took place in new 500-liter oak and the wine was aged for 18 months in new French and Hungarian barriques. It displays a captivating bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, Asian spices, espresso, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. This is followed by a dense, smooth-textured, succulent and incipiently complex Tempranillo with impeccable balance, 4-6 years of aging potential, and a 40-second finish. Drink this classy offering from 2014 to 2026. Importer: Steven Berardi Selections, Denver, CO; tel. (303) 838-1963

The alcoholic fermentation for the purple-colored 2005 Capricho was done in barrel after which malolactic fermentation and aging took place for 24 months in new Hungarian barriques. Made up of 100% Tempranillo from the estate’s oldest parcels, it gives up a sexy, kinky bouquet of toasty oak, pencil lead, cinnamon, incense, and blackberry. Smooth-textured, layered, and concentrated, the wine has considerable depth and grip as well as another 3-4 years of aging potential It will have a drinking window extending from 2012 to 2020. Importer: Steven Berardi, Elizabeth Imports, Denver, CO; tel. (303) 838-1963

The 2003 Capricho (1000 bottles produced) was barrel fermented and aged for 24 months in new 500-liter Hungarian oak. Inky purple and more marked by its barrel treatment, it has an alluring bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, mineral, blackberry, and black raspberry. Ripe, spicy, balanced, and seamless, it will provide satisfaction through 2015. Importer: Steven Berardi, Elizabeth Imports, Denver, CO; (303) 838-1963