Fashioned from a vineyard planted in 1931 on pure limestone, this wine is outrageously rich complex, and profound. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of sweet black fruits, vanilla, flowers, and minerals. There are layers of fruit, great flavor, extraction, unbelievable finesse, complexity and elegance. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Full-bodied and super-concentrated.

Rating

Wine Advocate 98 points (Jun 2010) The 2007 El Pison is medium purple in color with a superb, already complex nose of smoke, liquid mineral, crushed stone, lavender, balsamic, and black cherry. This leads to a beautifully proportioned, elegant, satin-textured wine with plush fruit, plenty of structure, and a lengthy, seamless finish. It can be approached now although it is still evolving and should drink well through 2027. Senor Lopez de Lacalle’s description of the 2007 is "delicate, pure, and a wine of finesse.” No visit to Rioja would be complete without a visit to Artadi and maestro Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. Artadi’s most recent releases are the 2007s which were reviewed in Issue 183. On this occasion, we sampled the promising 2009s from barrel in addition to the 4 vintages of the flagship Vina El Pison (all of which have been previously reviewed, the 1995 and 1998 by Robert Parker). The El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone.