Description
Wine Details
Own vineyards, with an age of between 40 and 100 years, worked with methods of reasoned viticulture, with minimal intervention and tillage.
The amusing illustration that appears on its label expresses the meaning of its name: ‘tentenublo’ was a form of bell ringing used in some parts of Spain to ward off the hail storms that are so damaging to the vineyards.
Alcohol Grade: 14%
Aging/ Vinification: Spontaneous fermentation in open stainless steel vats, with capacities of 1,000 and 500 kg; Soft punching with traditional treading, malolactic in barrels and aging in French oak barrels for 11 months.
Best to have it: 14-18ºC
Production: Limited production of 13,633 bottles.
The Winery: Tentenublo Wines
Roberto Oliván Iglesias has been farming his eight hectare family estate, Tentenublo, in the high, wind-swept Basque country of the Rioja Alavesa since 2011. Working organically, using native yeast fermentation, and limited sulphur, Roberto draws upon Rioja’s long established protocol of barrel aging (working mainly with French oak), to craft deeply personal wines of substance and character.
Roberto Oliván is one of the most exciting names among the new generation of young producers in Rioja. He works just under 10 hectares of family vines and others he is gradually acquiring in the vicinity of Viñaspre, a hamlet in the district of Lanciego —a vineyard area on the foothills at the eastern end of the Sierra Cantabria mountains— where he lives and is deeply attached to. High altitude (around 620 metres) and replanos, a term used to describe tableland areas with distinctive calcareous marl and sandstone soils, are characteristic in this area and provide a unique character to his range of wines.
His most popular wine is Tentenublo, the name given to the ringing of bells aimed at fighting off hailstorms in some Rioja villages. Under this brand, he produces a fresh, lively and persistent red (around 10,000 bottles).
In strict geographical terms, Roberto is a winemaker of Rioja, and more specifically a winemaker of the Rioja Alavesa. However, it is the powerful connection he shares with the previous generations of his family who once worked the land now in his care, combined with his deep knowledge of the country surrounding the small village of Viñaspre, where he was born, that truly defines Roberto’s sensibility and influences his decision making process.
