The Story
Celeste is born 895 meters above sea level, where the vines and the sky form a magical connection, resulting in a wine filled with the freshness, emotion, and intensity of a starry night.
Origin: DO Ribera del Duero
Grape variety: Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)
Winemaking: Number of days of skin contact: 15-20 days / Type of fermentation: In stainless steel tanks, under controlled temperature. / Malolactic fermentation, predominantly in new barrels, then aged on the lees for 2 months. / Number of days of fermentation: 1 week aproximatelly / Fermentation temperature: 25-30°C
Ageing: During 12 months in French and American oak (20% new barrel)
Length of bottle ageing before release: Minimum 12 months
Tasting notes: Deeply opaque, dark cherry red, with garnet highlights. Expressive aroma of black forest fruit (blueberry) with delicious, jammy cherry coming through, and a characteristic, terroir-imparted mineral nuance. Velvety and elegant on the palate, revealing exquisitely fine, fruit tannins, good length, and refined aromas of aging in toasted oak.
Serving suggestion: Given its smooth tannin and fruit characteristics, the wine pairs beautifully with all kinds of red meat, chorizo, and aged cheeses. Serve at 14–16ºC.
Soil: Notes on the soil types of the Páramo plateau (Fompedraza). The Fompedraza vineyard lies in the mid-eastern section
of the Duero River Valley, near the town of Fompedraza and the Durantón River. This tributary of the Duero meets
the latter in the area around Peñafiel. The area's topography is gentle, characterized by high plateaus traversed by steep,
narrow valleys that give the region its distinctive morphology. The area is located at 900 meters above sea level, which
has a significant influence on the region's climate and winegrowing. The area shows a predominance of Tertiary and
Quaternary continental deposits. Specifically, the vineyard sits atop deposits from the Upper Miocene and Quaternary
periods. The predominant Upper Miocene lithology is based on grey limestone interspersed with marl, whereas the
Quaternary areas are mostly composed of clay. The soils that formed on top of these materials tend to exhibit médium
to fine textures and are very rich in carbonate.
Precipitation:
Annual average (historical): 410.8 mm
Temperature:
Annual average (historical): 11.8ºC
Wine Information
Weather conditions: A historic harvest with very low yields, mostly due to a serious frost event in late April, but accentuated by summer
drought. 2017 was one of the hottest years on record, which led to very early budbreak, maturation, and harvest. The
grapes reached optimal ripeness and arrived at the winery in perfect condition. Very concentrated grapes, both
aromatically and on the palate.
Precipitation:
Annual total (current vintage): 272.6 mm
Temperature:
Annual average (current vintage): 12.7ºC
Alcohol level: 14.5%
pH: 3.89
Total acidity: 5 g/L (tartaric a.)
Residual sugar: <0.5 g/L
Ageing potential: 3-7 years
Vintage 2017
SPAIN 2017 Vintage /Extreme weather was seen across the wine world in 2017 and Spain was no exception. For most Spanish regions there were one or more climatic challenges to contend with including spring frost, drought, untypically high summer temperatures and occasional hail storms. Then, mercifully, the going got easier as more typical weather arrived for the August and September ripening period and generally very favourable harvest conditions.
Frost hit areas where it rarely does in Spain – many areas of Galicia were affected with only Rías Baixas getting off lightly. Castilla y León, with its wide stretch of regions from Ribera del Duero to Bierzo, often sees some frost but this year it hit with a vengeance. Jerez was one of the few areas to escape and the central area of Castilla-La Mancha only suffered frost damage in isolated areas.
The long drought and a very hot early summer period tested some varieties, especially non- indigenous ones. Older vines and bush vines with deep roots coped better with the extreme weather and soils with good water retention were a bonus.
The harvest was generally low-yielding and early, having been brought forward by an early bud break. But the length of the harvest varied and thanks to fine weather growers could wait for the best time to pick waiting for each area to reach maturity. In some cases where there was a secondary growth on vines after the frost, the result was a later growing cycle and vines reaching maturity at more typical dates.
Grape quality was often reported to be high with healthy bunches of smaller berries showing intense flavours and excellent ripeness. As always, those offering the best wines from this vintage are likely to have selected their grapes carefully.
While yields are down in 2017, this harvest comes after more generous ones for many Spanish regions in recent years and this should safeguard against supply shortages.
Recommended glass shape
Average Bottle Price
2020 |
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14€ |