Vina Zorzal Cuatro del Cuatro 2018
-
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pure Graciano 2018 Cuatro del Cuatro was first produced in 2015 as an homage to the Sanz brothers' father, who kept his Graciano vines when the majority ripped them up. They have seen that, with a soft vinification, the variety is not as rustic as most think and, in fact, can be quite elegant. 2018 was a tricky vintage for the variety, and the wine has moderate alcohol (13.3%), a very low pH (3.35) and notable acidity (six grams of tartaric acid per liter). It was produced with grapes grown in the village of Corella (especially from a vineyard planted in 1978), which has more Mediterranean influence that Fitero, the other village where they have the majority of their vineyards. This is a super serious Graciano, fresher than the majority of varietal bottlings out there, as they have lost the fear of harvesting it earlier, and it delivers a very spicy wine, with lots of black and even white peppercorns. I think this is very much in line with the 2016.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
Viña Zorzal is located in the Southern part of the Navarra DO, very close to the border of Rioja. The larger parent house of Vinícola Corellana was founded by Antonio Sanz in 1989. The guiding principles here have always been sustainability and a return to historical grape varieties. With the coming of age of Antonios' three sons, Xabier, Iñaki and Mikel, the winery Viña Zorzal was born. Like so many father/son stories, the children have adopted the idea of the father and taken it further. The farming is now organic and the focus is on making higher quality, site specific wines that respect history but also look to a brighter future.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
Just north of Spain’s famous Rioja region, Navarra excels in the production of full and fruit-dominant reds and good quality, dry rosés. Garnacha holds most of the land under vine, with Tempranillo coming in second place.