Wine Advisor
Artadi, Vina El Pison 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jay S Miller
The 2007 Vina El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. It spent 16-18 months in new French oak. It offers an ethereal perfume of pain grille, liquid mineral, crushed stone, lavender, incense, blueberry, and black cherry. This leads to a beautifully proportioned, elegant, velvety wine with opulent fruit, plenty of ripe tannin, and an exceptionally lengthy finish. Drink this seamless, totally pleasure-bent, intellectually satisfying wine from 2010 to 2025. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
Reviewed by: Jay S Miller
The 2007 El Pison is medium purple in color with a superb, already complex nose of smoke, liquid mineral, crushed stone, lavender, balsamic, and black cherry. This leads to a beautifully proportioned, elegant, satin-textured wine with plush fruit, plenty of structure, and a lengthy, seamless finish. It can be approached now although it is still evolving and should drink well through 2027. Senor Lopez de Lacalle’s description of the 2007 is “delicate, pure, and a wine of finesse.” No visit to Rioja would be complete without a visit to Artadi and maestro Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. Artadi’s most recent releases are the 2007s which were reviewed in Issue 183. On this occasion, we sampled the promising 2009s from barrel in addition to the 4 vintages of the flagship Vina El Pison (all of which have been previously reviewed, the 1995 and 1998 by Robert Parker). The El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
About the Producer
Artadi is a well-regarded, high-profile wine producer based in the Rioja Alavesa town of Laguardia although famously having left the local Rioja wine body, it produces wines under the Vino de Mesa title. It makes a range of Rioja-style wines albeit with a subregional focus and is perhaps best-known for its single vineyard labels, all made from Tempranillo. The single vineyard labels include El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros, Quintanilla, San Lazaro and Valdeginés, as well as the flagship El Pison. The 2004 vintage of El Pison wine received 100 points from American wine critic Robert Parker. Other notable wines include the Pagos Viejos cuvée, the value-level Viñas de Gain and the entry-level Artadi Joven, produced from carbonically macerated Tempranillo and Viura. Artadi also makes a white Viñas de Gain from 100 percent Viura aged in oak as well as a sparkling Cava, also from local Viura. López de Lacalle's wines are fruit-driven and characterized by smooth tannins, showing an emphasis on individual vineyard sites more than aging styles. He also owns the El Sequé estate in Alicante, which makes wine from the Monastrell variety, and Artazu in Navarra, which focuses on the Garnacha grape.
