2009 El Carretil
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2009 Carretil, the third single vineyard wine, consists of 5.3 hectares on clay-limestone soils set on sandstone rock. It has a very sensual bouquet with dark cherries, creme de cassis and creamy new oak smeared on top - without compromising delineation. The palate is full-bodied and is certainly the most voluminous of the three single vineyard wines, with perhaps the best balance and freshness, seeming to handle that oak with style. The finish is beautifully poised with life-affirming freshness. Primal but persuasive, this should turn out to be a fantastic Rioja. Drink 2020-2035. Artadi was one of several imperative visits during my visit to Rioja, where I met respected winemaker Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. His wines need little introduction, having already garnered glowing reviews in this publication and elsewhere. But what I was interested in discovering was whether Rioja can really exploit the minutiae of its multifarious terroirs and offer genuine nuances in a similar fashion to Burgundy or the Mosel (to give but two examples of regions where place is everything). If there is one man who lives by that philosophy, it is Juan Carlos, who oversees a coveted range of modern style Rioja that receive a generous amount of new French oak. Let us commence with the entry-level Vinas de Gain red and white. The Viura is harvested separately from Juan Carlos's intermixed vineyard and is fermented in 500-liter French oak barrels and kept in stainless steel tanks on the lees with three of four lees-stirring. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, www.foliowine.com in the US, and www.bbr.com in the UK.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Carretil, the third single vineyard wine, consists of 5.3 hectares on clay-limestone soils set on sandstone rock. It has a very sensual bouquet with dark cherries, creme de cassis and creamy new oak smeared on top - without compromising delineation. The palate is full-bodied and is certainly the most voluminous of the three single vineyard wines, with perhaps the best balance and freshness, seeming to handle that oak with style. The finish is beautifully poised with life-affirming freshness. Primal but persuasive, this should turn out to be a fantastic Rioja. Drink 2020-2035. Artadi was one of several imperative visits during my visit to Rioja, where I met respected winemaker Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. His wines need little introduction, having already garnered glowing reviews in this publication and elsewhere. But what I was interested in discovering was whether Rioja can really exploit the minutiae of its multifarious terroirs and offer genuine nuances in a similar fashion to Burgundy or the Mosel (to give but two examples of regions where place is everything). If there is one man who lives by that philosophy, it is Juan Carlos, who oversees a coveted range of modern style Rioja that receive a generous amount of new French oak. Let us commence with the entry-level Vinas de Gain red and white. The Viura is harvested separately from Juan Carlos's intermixed vineyard and is fermented in 500-liter French oak barrels and kept in stainless steel tanks on the lees with three of four lees-stirring.
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.