Solomazuelo 2018 DOC Rioja (red)
A masterful expression of the rare Mazuelo variety. Rich notes of dark plums and raspberries mingle with touches of cocoa and spice, wrapped in an elegant structure with velvety tannins and excellent cellaring potential.
| Category: | Red |
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In 2011, Javier Arizcuren decided to focus on one of Rioja's historic varieties: Mazuelo. Despite its great qualities, acidity, color and tannins, this grape is rarely vinified on its own in the region, because it is much easier to use it to round out blends. Javier decided to show the variety in its pure form, using native yeasts and large-format barrels to create a wine few can match.
VARIETY
100% Mazuelo (Carignan)
WINERY
Organic, in certification, sustainable.
HARVEST
Hand harvest into small 11 kg crates.
VINIFICATION AND AGING
12 months in 500 l French oak barrels (15% new), followed by 12 months in a concrete tank.
BOTTLING
4,000-4,500 bottles.
ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 14%; total acidity: 5.5 g/l; pH: -; residual sugar: 1.0 g/l.
TASTE AND CHARACTER
The wine captivates with a deep ruby-red color and violet reflections. The nose is rich and complex, with intense notes of ripe black plums, juicy raspberries and lightly dried cherries, complemented by hints of cocoa, balsamic and subtle spice. On the palate it develops a medium-bodied, harmonious structure with firm, velvety tannins and fresh acidity that brings elegance and shape. Each sip offers balance between ripe fruit, spice and delicate minerality, with a long finish.
SOMMELIER'S TIP
Pour the glass to one third and serve at 16-18 °C so the wine's complex character can fully open. Ideal with roast duck, game or gourmet meat dishes.
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Arizcuren Bodega y Viñedos was founded by Javier Arizcuren, an architect and winemaker who combines technical precision with an artistic sensitivity to terroir. His family has been involved in winemaking for generations and has cultivated vineyards since the mid-20th century in Quel, a village with a long winemaking tradition located in the Cidacos Valley, at the heart of Rioja Oriental and a 40-minute drive from Logroño.
After years of working in the family vineyards, Javier decided to continue the tradition through his own modern approach. In 2011, he began producing the first wines under the Arizcuren label, working with 16 hectares of vineyards and a clear vision: to restore the authentic character and identity of Garnacha and Mazuelo, two varieties that had long remained in the shadow of Tempranillo in the region.
The winery is located in the centre of Logroño, where Javier established a small, design-led urban winery that brings together architecture, tradition and sustainability. He farms the vineyards himself according to organic principles, without chemical herbicides or pesticides, and is currently in the process of obtaining organic certification.
Every bottle of Arizcuren carries the signature of its landscape: the rocky slopes of the Sierra de Yerga, where the vines grow at elevations of more than 500 metres above sea level. The combination of abundant sunshine and cool night-time winds gives the wines their distinctive mineral character and freshness. Today, Arizcuren is regarded as one of Rioja’s most compelling boutique wineries. Production is limited to small batches, often ranging from only a few hundred to a few thousand bottles. Each project, known as an Apunte or “note”, is both an experiment and a tribute to its terroir.
“Every wine is like a work of architecture—it must stand on solid foundations and possess harmony of form as well as a soul,” says Javier Arizcuren. Apuntes is Arizcuren’s latest project: a collection of experimental wines through which the winery gives free rein to its creativity. These wines emerge spontaneously and unpredictably during the harvest. They are created with complete freedom, knowing that they will not become part of the winery’s permanent portfolio and can never be repeated. One wine, one vintage.
Arizcuren’s roots lie in Javier’s hometown of Quel, a village with a long winemaking tradition in the Cidacos Valley, around a 40-minute drive from Logroño. In 2011, he took over 16 hectares of family vineyards and began to recognise the potential and distinctive character of this area, with plots rising along the slopes of Mount Yerga. Only the finest-quality grapes are bottled under the Arizcuren label.