Guelbenzu Evo | Moreno Wines

Wine Producer:

Bodegas Guelbenzu

Vintage:

2004

Winemaker:

Gorka Arellano, Idoia Jarauta

Winemaking:

After the fermentation and maceration, the wine spent 12 months in new Allier barrels. Before bottling it rested in big oak barrels of 20,000 liters to harmonies.

Wine Style:

Red

Winery Info:

The winery was founded in 1851, but it was in the 1880s that Don Miguel Guelbenzu a chemist trained at the university of ¨La Sorbonne¨ in Paris, established its reputation. He had the idea that he could use his scientific background, and love of Bordeaux to make a Spanish wine of true international standing. He obtained a medal at the Exposition of Navarra in 1880, and in the Bordeaux exposition in 1882 the 1876, 1879, 1880 and 1881 vintages were all rewarded. Followed by a gold medal at the Universal Exposition in Barcelona in 1888. Guelbenzu were established as one of the great houses of Navarra, producing iconic wines from the region.
In the 1980s the new generation of Guelbenzus came through, determined to reaffirm the influences that established the wines and to modernise and innovate for the future. They took on the Bordeaux trained oenologist Joseba Altuna , who went on to win them many awards on the international circuit. Having abdicated from Navarra DO in 2001, embarked on a new Aragonese winery in La Lombana that very same year, created their own DO, and experimenting in Chile you cant accuse the Guelbenzu family of resting on there laurels. A clutch of great recent vintages under his belt and things are looking good for Ricardo Guelbenzu. Good Lord - even Robert Parker now likes them!

Vineyard information:

The Queiles Valley is traversed by a river of the same name, which crosses the Ribera from the South, originating in the North of the Moncayo mountain range. Its microclimate is highly suitable for the cultivation of vines - with, on the one hand, cold winters and extreme frosts; and on the other, hot summers, with low night temperatures by virtue of the proximity of the Iberian System. Mount Moncayo - known locally as ¨Father of the Iberia¨- has an altitude of 2,315 meters and is 15 to 20 kilometres away from the vineyards of Cascante.
The soils are the compacted results of the quaternary era. They are poor, of little depth, and lie on a stony, chalky base. Fertilized with sheep droppings every four years, they yield - depending on the grape variety - between 5 and 6,000 kilos of grapes per hectare.
Average rainfall in the valley is around 450 mm, with a medium temperature of 13º and 2700 hours of sunshine a year. Irrigated in winter, as there is a lack of rainfall during this period, with an irrigation-system of little dams and rivers developed by the Romans.
The vineyards of Guelbenzu contain 20 different plots of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Grenache as bush and Guyot pruning.

Food Pairing:

Good pairing with gamy dishes, and strong rich meaty dishes, Try it with pheasant, well hung beef, slow cooked rich lamb dishes.

Abv:

13.5%

Grape Variety:

55% Cabernet Sauvignon 33% Merlot 12% Tempranillo

Tasting Note:

Opaque dense purple coloured, showing aromas of mineral, spice box, tobacco, black currant, and blackberry. In the mouth is unctuous, round, meaty, black spices with touch of liquorice. It has good acidity, with a long finish, structured tanins and some minerality. Drinking well now, but improving in bottle for 5-7 years.