Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera Crianza 2020, DO Ribera del Duero, Spain

Alejandro Fernandez followed family tradition by making wine each year from the grapes of his small vineyards, but it would not be until 1972 that he would have his own real winery. The western half of old Castile has a continental climate. However, it is tempered by the not too distant Atlantic, where the River Duero empties into the sea. The “Father of Rivers”, the Duero, has marked these lands for millennia, providing them with sand and gravel over a base of limestone and clays. It has thus formed a well-drained, but poor and clean soil with just the right amount of organic matter. It is an ideal soil for the vines – with the help of the air, rain and the sun – to conjure forth aromas and flavors rich in nuances and store them in the grapes. “Pesquera” wines are always made from whole de-stemmed grapes. The grapes are macerated at a controlled temperature and the process lasts between 2-3 weeks. The grapes are then pressed. The resulting wine is poured without clarification directly into a subtle combination of American, Spanish and French barrels with different levels of toasting. The wine is stored and decanted frequently for at least 18 months in the barrel, and aged an additional 6 months in the bottle.” – From the Winery