Dacu Tempranillo 2014
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Dacu is a single-vineyard wine made in the unknown region of Ribera del Guadiana, located in southwestern Spain next to the Portuguese border. Although unknown, it is the second largest geographical wine appellation in Spain. Dacu was founded in 2007 with the goal of showcasing the many virtues of this unknown territory. Ribera del Guadiana not only possesses perfect weather that is consistent year after year to produced high quality, fully ripened grapes, but it is a cool climate in the south, which means it is warm because of its southern latitude but it is also cool due to the Poniente winds. This allows the Tempranillo grapes to exhibit great amounts of fresh cherry and red berry aromatics and flavors. Ribera del Guadiana shows a different side of Tempranillo than Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Toro. Similar to the great grape varieties of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo, Tempranillo has an ability to adapt itself to different climatic conditions and geographies and can also communicate the character of the place where it is grown before imparting its own personality. The sublime Tempranillo grape can transmit all the minute differences of its terroir. In Ribera del Guadiana, Tempranillo shows intense raspberry flavors, silky tannins, lots of dense, luscious fruit and balanced acidity that is bright and fresh.
High elevation vineyards and exposure to cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean. The diversity of soils in the vineyard (clay,limestone and sand) produces consistent quality wines in dry or wet years. Dacu reveals a sense of place through Tempranillo that is a completely different expression than that of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Toro.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.