El Pedal Tempranillo 2023 is a fresh and straightforward wine made from a blend of grapes grown in the areas of Cenicero, Fuenmayor, Navarrete, Hornos de Moclavillo, and Baños de Rioja. A youthful red aged for 5 months in concrete tanks, wooden vats, and oak barrels, showcasing a fantastic fruity expression and enough drive to be enjoyed over the next three years.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Tempranillo
Type of barrel
Cement tank, 5000-liter wooden vat, and used 500-liter barrels
Type of bottle
Burgundy Bottle
Capacity (cl)
75
General Information
El Pedal Tempranillo 2023 belongs to the youngest and freshest range among the new projects developed by Viñedos Hermanos Hernáiz. Cheerful and bright wines, easy to drink, with shorter aging periods made possible by the unique microclimate of the plots from which they come, less Atlantic than in other areas of the Rioja Alta.
Created from a carefully measured coupage of Tempranillo grapes cultivated using the traditional bush vine system, from vines with an average age of 30 years located in the areas of Fuenmayor, Cenicero, Navarrete, Hornos de Moncalvillo, and Baños de Rioja, El Pedal Tempranillo is a young and fresh red wine. Its production began with the fermentation of the grapes in cement and stainless steel tanks, at low temperatures and with gentle pump-overs. The malolactic fermentation and the aging of the wine for five months took place in cement tanks, a 5000-liter wooden vat, and used French oak barrels, before being bottled together with 10% of wine from the previous vintage aged in oak barrels for 12 months.
The result is this El Pedal Tempranillo 2023, a relaxed red wine under the D.O.Ca. Rioja, fresh, fragrant, and very fruity. A youthful wine but bold enough to pair with legume stews or a barbecue.
Creators' opinion
El Pedal de Hermanos Hernáiz is a direct and fresh wine with an intense cherry color and violet rim. Fragrant and youthful on the nose, where aromas of violet and wild red berries dominate over a toasted background with hints of strawberry candy and red licorice. On the palate, the primary and fruity character continues to prevail with abundant notes of berries and maceration.
The winery
The Hernáiz family already owned vineyards in Cenicero, but their name in Spanish wine began to gain recognition in 1996 when they acquired Finca La Emperatriz, a historic estate located in Baños de Rioja (Rioja Alta). The name of the estate refers to its former owner: Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III and Empress of France. In her time, wines made from these vineyards already enjoyed a good reputation, as evidenced by the award won in 1878 at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
Curiously and fortunately, Finca La Emperatriz has remained unchanged over time, as a single piece of land extending over 101 hectares, an exceptional feature in Rioja. Of these, 82 hectares are planted with vineyards, perfectly divided into plots, with a significant percentage of old bush vines reaching 70 years of age.
Additionally, it stands out for hosting 32 hectares of vineyards classified as ‘Viñedo Singular’, the largest area with this designation owned by a single winery (in the entire denomination, there are only 265 hectares distinguished as Viñedo Singular). It has also been a pioneering winery in producing a wine with this classification. It is worth noting that the ‘Viñedo Singular’ designation recognizes the highest quality sites that are home to old vines.
Finca La Emperatriz is located in the Oja Valley, in the northwesternmost part of Rioja, the coldest area of the region, at an altitude of nearly 600 meters between the famous La Demanda and Cantabria mountain ranges. The Ebro River is about 100 km away, and the area experiences less Mediterranean influence and more Atlantic and continental influence, allowing the tempranillo grape to express a more elegant and fresh profile. On the other hand, the protective barrier effect of the Sierra de Cantabria provides very favorable climatic conditions.