The
Eguren family has grown and vinified wine in Castilla - specifically
in Rioja - since the 1870s. Their properties include Sierra Cantabria
in Rioja and Numanthia in the Toro region.
The grapes
for Protocolo Blanco - 70% Airen and 30% Macabeo - come from Finca
La Mota, a 25 hectare (61.8 acres) vineyard 2,700 ft. in elevation
with calcareous clay soils. The vineyard is oriented to the southwest,
and planted in the traditional vaso (bush) and cabeza (head-trained)
systems. Yield is 51 hectoliters per hectare.
Harvest
began at the beginning of September 2006. Fermentation was in stainless-steel.
There
is a tangy minerality that is delightfully persistent all the way
to the finish.
Stephen
Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar’s Josh Raynolds describes it in
more lush terms:
"Pale
peach skin color. Spicy pit fruit and pear aromas are ripe and vaguely
warm. Round, supple pit fruit flavors are complemented by anise and
pungent herbs, with a sweet, honeyed ripeness building with air. I'd
drink this open-knit, fleshy wine now. 87 points."
