Description
Más Que Vinos was founded in La Rioja in 1998 by three winemaker friends, Margarita Madrigal, Alexandra Schmedes and Gonzalo Rodriguez. Seeing the great potential of the vineyards in Gonzalo’s hometown of Dosbarrios, they launched their own winery project, rescuing old plots of indigenous grape varieties and moving to organic viticulture. They renovated the old family winery (from 1851) and in 2007 constructed a new modern winery in nearby Cabañas de Yepes. Today, Más Que Vinos owns the 35-hectare Finca Horcajo and farms another 35 hectares in Dosbarrios, Cabañas de Yepes and Villarrubia. The area of the villages Dosbarrios and Cabañas de Yepes is called the Meseta de Ocaña and is located 60 kilometers east of Toledo. The climate is continental, with very cold, dry winters and hot summers. Due to the high altitude (750 meters) the warm summer days are accompanied by cool nights—ideal conditions for perfect ripening of Cencibel, the local clone of Tempranillo. Cencibel is uniquely suited to the harsh climate, with its smaller, more compact bunch size and thicker skins, which withstand the area’s heavy winds.
A Clarete—a blend of red and white grapes—Mas Que Vinos’ 5/4 is made from a selection of 50-year-old bush vines grown on limestone and clay soils, at between 750–800 meters above sea level, on the meseta. The 2022 bottling is a blend of 40% Cencibel (Tempranillo), 20% Garnacha, 20% Airen and 20% Malvar. The four varieties were all hand harvested and co-fermented with spontaneous (indigenous yeasts) whole cluster fermentation and élevage in amphora; aged for nine months before bottling.
Fresh aromas of red summer fruits mingled with a sweet, herbal thread. Pleasantly fruited, with lots of delicious red and dark cherries, pitted plum, with a touch of peppery spice. The medium bodied palate is nicely balanced, solidly composed, with good acidity and dusty, food-friendly tannins.
