2016 Prieto Picudo Calandria, Bodegas Belote
Wine Variety: Prieto Picudo is unusual for several reasons, not least because I can, as yet, find no synonym for it! It is also unrecognised within the Spanish DO (like the French AC) system. An oddity, then. Prieto Picudo is a thick-skinned grape, from which the wine gains a great deal of colour. It is native to the area south of Leon in northern Spain and is related to the Portuguese grape Alfrocheiro.
Wine Region: We're near the city of Leon here in the north-west of the country, at 900 metres of altitude and in vineyards that are worked organically.
Wine Producer: Bodegas Belote are situated in Roales de Campos in the province of Valladolid. The philosophy here is one of low-intervention. Cellars are dug into sloping ground and in them wine has been made for over 500 years.
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Style:
Red - full-bodied |
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Grape Variety:
Prieto Picudo |
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Producer:
Bodegas Belote |
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Serving Temperature:
not specified
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Alcohol Content:
14.5%
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Country:
Spain |
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Appellation:
not specified
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Drink By:
2020 |
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Bottle Size:
75cl
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Region:
Leon |
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Colour:
Still Red |
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Food:
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Tasting Notes:
Very deep – almost opaque – fresh-looking purple colour. Nose here is really scented-full of dark snap. Herbal insinuations weave through the just-picked, just-ripe black plum fruit. This has breathed for a while since I recorded the video note and that obtuse wintergreen note has dissipated. I find something nutty here: a smell of tannin? Palate is cool, quickly snappy-dark and nicely pure. Lively mineral grip isn’t far behind, followed by the rich, fine, rather nut-skin tannins. Just about medium weight, this. No sign of the alcohol. Long, the finish shrouded in a granular minerality.
#3wordtastingnote: cool, dark, snappy
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