With a firm structure and a savory, earthy-mineral core, Bodegas Pujanza's "Norte" is a taste of the "new traditional" Rioja. Tannins, and the intensity of its dark-toned fruit character, are barely tamed by a brief year in a mix of small French oak barrels and concrete. "The fruity character is more subtle in Norte, with a presence of wild berries, spices and very well-integrated wood. Its minerality shows the influence of the lime soils from which it comes. A powerful, full mouth-feel with firm but not aggressive tannins. Lively, but at the same time showing great balance between body, acidity and alcohol." Give this one an hour or so in the decanter and pair with roasted or grilled meats and rich, flavorful vegetable dishes.
This bottling comes from "a unique vineyard which is in direct line with the winds from the north and which sits on a terrain in which the limestone bedrock is only 50 centimetres below the surface. These two features, together with the height (720 meters above sea level), give Pujanza Norte notable freshness and acidity which are maintained one vintage after another due to the consistency of the vineyard. A powerful, mature wine. With a clearly defined personality, very expressive and difficult to forget." - WINERY NOTES
DECANTER 96 POINTS - "Based in Laguardia, Pujanza produces an accomplished range of Riojas based on single vineyard sites. Norte is the winery's highest site, planted at 720m on clay and limestone soils, producing a fresh and lifted Rioja, with show-stopping elegance. Beautiful purity of fruit: cherries, strawberry, plum and some cranberry crunch. Aged for 12 months in French oak and then eight months in concrete, the palate is poised and expressive, with fine tannins. A winning interpretation of a single terroir."
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "I was really looking forward to the 2018 Norte, the top-of-the-range red from a north-facing plot in Laguardia at some 720 meters in altitude, from a vintage with similarities to the 2016 I love. The wine has a rare combination of power and elegance, of ripeness and freshness that denotes a special place. Like the rest of reds, it fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with malolactic in those same containers followed by 12 months in French oak barrels (slightly less than in the past) and eight months in concrete... San Pedro didn't use any new oak in this wine or, as a matter of fact, in any of the other wines, and the time in barrel was also shortened in this wine... The wine is not a powerhouse; this is a more delicate year. With a couple of hours in the glass, the wine shows a lot more poise and harmony... 11,000 bottles produced. It will be released in April 2021. Every year this wine is released in April."
Bodegas Pujanza was began by Carlos San Pedro in 1998 with the intention of making "new traditional" wines of Rioja, specifically from the high-altitude area near Laguardia.
This bottling comes from "a unique vineyard which is in direct line with the winds from the north and which sits on a terrain in which the limestone bedrock is only 50 centimetres below the surface. These two features, together with the height (720 meters above sea level), give Pujanza Norte notable freshness and acidity which are maintained one vintage after another due to the consistency of the vineyard. A powerful, mature wine. With a clearly defined personality, very expressive and difficult to forget." - WINERY NOTES
DECANTER 96 POINTS - "Based in Laguardia, Pujanza produces an accomplished range of Riojas based on single vineyard sites. Norte is the winery's highest site, planted at 720m on clay and limestone soils, producing a fresh and lifted Rioja, with show-stopping elegance. Beautiful purity of fruit: cherries, strawberry, plum and some cranberry crunch. Aged for 12 months in French oak and then eight months in concrete, the palate is poised and expressive, with fine tannins. A winning interpretation of a single terroir."
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "I was really looking forward to the 2018 Norte, the top-of-the-range red from a north-facing plot in Laguardia at some 720 meters in altitude, from a vintage with similarities to the 2016 I love. The wine has a rare combination of power and elegance, of ripeness and freshness that denotes a special place. Like the rest of reds, it fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with malolactic in those same containers followed by 12 months in French oak barrels (slightly less than in the past) and eight months in concrete... San Pedro didn't use any new oak in this wine or, as a matter of fact, in any of the other wines, and the time in barrel was also shortened in this wine... The wine is not a powerhouse; this is a more delicate year. With a couple of hours in the glass, the wine shows a lot more poise and harmony... 11,000 bottles produced. It will be released in April 2021. Every year this wine is released in April."
Bodegas Pujanza was began by Carlos San Pedro in 1998 with the intention of making "new traditional" wines of Rioja, specifically from the high-altitude area near Laguardia.
