Cien y Pico is the winemakers' call to arms and means a [hundred & something] in La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote.

Tasting Notes:

Extraordinary, glass staining colour - almost impenetrable deep hued purple, with youthful violet on the edges. Just an extraordinarily deep hued red. Warning; do not spill any of this wine on anything white, as it will leave a permanent purple stain!

A fantastic nose with a range of blueberries, damson plums and cherries. Also there are intriguing smells of fresh bay leaf, lavender and Turkish Delight but in the main this wine smells lots of red fruit and rose petals, raspberries, Loganberries and blackberries combined with a little cream on top. Interestingly the smell of this has often been compared to many great (rich) wine styles and varieties but there is always a note referring to the perfumed elements on the nose.

The palate is attacking and intense fresh, macerated blueberry and red fruits, followed by a summer pudding array of juicy blackberries, delicious strawberries , tart raspberries and and underlying hints of fresh muddled herbs. There is also some significant tannin as well as strong dark cocoa dominating the palate, with a layer of jamon meatiness.

About Cien Y Pico:

Their vineyards are on the wide, dry plateau of the southern Castilian meseta, between the Mediterranean and Madrid, one thousand metres above sea level and surrounded by mountains that offer just enough protection from the icy winters that turn directly into warm summers.

Their ancient plantings of (Garnacha) Tintorera thrive in the organically poor but limestone rich, red, sandy Miocene era sedimentary clay between the rocky limestone outcrops that cover the vineyards. Ancient and gnarled, the free standing bush vines, grown on their own roots with just 300mm of rain a year, yield tiny but intense crops.

Cien y Pico is nicknamed ‘Doble Pasta’ referring to its deep colour that occurs naturally with the variety (Garnacha) Tintorera.

The aim of Cien Y Pico is to protect and preserve these 19th Century vineyards for future generations - trust Cien y Pico’s vineyards to produce wines that will allow the four winemakers-errant, to be victorious in
the battle for vineyards of terroir and biodiversity.

Technical Details:

Variety: Garnacha Tintorera
Region: Manchuela, Spain V.C.P.R.D.
Vineyard: In Mahora, Dry grown, 100+year old, centurion bush vine.
Soil: Limestone rich, red, sandy Miocene era sedimentary clay
Yield: 3.3 tonnes per hectare
Harvest Date: 21st September 2009
Fermentation: Open on skins 10 day
Alcohol: 13.5%
pH: 3.61
TA: 5.71g/L
VA: 0.70 g/L
RS: 0.82 g/L
Free SO2: 38 ppm
Total SO2: 104 ppm
Oak: 20% in new