La Furgoneta - Viñedos de la Ribera del Órbigo, Castilla y León, Spain (2020)

TASTING NOTES

Bright, deep, ruby/black cherry colour with violet hues. Complex aromas and flavours of blueberry, wild raspberry, cherry, and plum, with notes of licorice, vanilla spice, violets, and mocha. Medium- to full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins, and a smooth and elegant finish. 

A Furgoneta is a van, and Sara and León found one abandoned on the family vineyards they were restoring.  The name of the wine literally means "the van overlooking the River Órbigo", a river of some significance in the area of the vineyards. 

Hand-harvested grapes from low-yielding vines - 3 plots planted between 1915 and 1945 - grown on hillside slopes at an altitude of 820-850 metres, with predominantly stony/clay soil.

In respect to the environment, not pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used. Some Biodynamic agricultural bases are used. 

Grapes are destemmed, not crushed, and alcohol fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is in barrels, and the wine is aged for 12 months in 700L French oak barrels - 2nd use. 

Limited production of 800 bottles.

These wines are a dream fulfilled for Sara Martinez-Lagos and Leon Florez, who combined have more than 26 years experience in the wine trade. They chose the name Latido de Sara - “Sara’s Heartbeat - in honour of Sara’s father who passed away a few years ago, and who always encouraged her to follow her own path, and to make her own wine.

La Furgoneta is a special project between Sara, León and Carlos Fernández (Bodegas Tierra and Exeo), based on the recovery of old vineyards planted between 1915 and 1945 near the River Órbigo, in the Province of Leon. It took more than four years to recover the plots which had been abandoned for many years.