2022 Bendito Destino Amphora Red

From the Fuentecebolla vineyard, and one that’s always very honest and expressive to its vintage. 2022 was a very dry year, with extreme temperature changes. The grapes were harvested at night to retain freshness, and stored in a cool place in the cellar to be processed the following morning. After a lot of thought that evening, Terry decided doing the opposite from the year before, and going against the “clay soil with clay vessel” philosophy. The ánfora was filled with fruit from Fuentecebolla (coming from limestone bedrock and loamy topsoil) at 2/3 of the capacity, which created a smaller headspace to must ratio, and the ferment was punched down gently twice a day.

A mix of whole bunch fruit in the bottom, and hand destemmed fruit on top. The carbon dioxide during fermentation created an anaerobic environment, forcing the grapes to start fermenting internally. The shape of ánfora and the vessel’s porosity brought everything together, and 41 days later the grapes were pressed with a vertical basket press into three second fill Hermitage barrels. 2022 being a hot year, with very low acids didn’t give the option for any decisions on malolactic, which occurred at the same time with primary fermentation. The wine was bottled after 24 months of elevage, with only one racking right before bottling.