Masterworks Series

Varietal: Tempranillo
Region: Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Alcohol by Volume: 13%
MSRP: $21

Winemaking is an art. With so many decisions to be made, from selecting grapes at the vineyard to bottling the juice months later at the winery, making wine ends up being an act of expression that says as much about a culture as any art form. To explore this parallel, we’ve brought in some of the world’s foremost experts on winemaking to create masterful wines inspired by history's most famous painters.

In the entire world there are only 352 Masters of Wine—the most prestigious title in the world of wine. Finding a wine where one was involved in the winemaking process is rare, but finding a wine with two Masters of Wine involved is practically unheard of. And in this succulent and distinctive wine you’ll taste for yourself exactly what these experts bring to the table—wines of fresh authenticity and incredible flavor.

Influenced by the work of innovative 20th century Spanish painter, Juan Gris, this masterful wine was made exclusively from old vine grapes in the famous region of Spain, Castilla-La Mancha. Much like the legendary artist’s cubist masterpieces, this colorful old vine Tempranillo is distinguished by its simple, yet powerful highlights—a vibrancy that grips you immediately from the first glance of its striking red color and holds you through its quiet, yet powerful flavors of blackberry and sweet spice.

Judges love this wine too: we're excited to announce that the Juan Gris 2015 won a silver medal at the 2017 Critics Challenge!

WINEMAKER

Winemaking for this bottle was overseen by the superstar team of Peter Leske, Giles Cooke, and Fergal Tynan. Between them they have decades of wine industry experience, two Masters of Wine certifications, and dozens of incredible wines. The team is famous for ensuring that ever wine adheres to strict winemaking traditions that allow for perfect varietal definition. Their wines are often characterized as having a vibrant freshness that maintains the authenticity of whatever terroir they pull from.

REGION:

It’d be hard to find a place more picturesque than the region of La Mancha in Castilla, Spain. Famous as the backdrop of the literary masterpiece, Don Quixote, the region is dotted with white windmills, ancient castles, and big yellow sunflowers nodding in the cool afternoon winds. But with over 3000 hours of sunshine per year; cool, dry evenings; and lush, nutrient-dense soil the region is perfect for growing a number of crops including mushrooms, olives, and, of course grapes. With very old, low yielding, un-irrigated vineyards, the region is known for producing small batch harvests of intensely flavorful, highly concentrated fruit.

TASTING NOTES:

Straight out of the bottle this beautiful ruby red Tempranillo is characterized by fragrant aromas of blackberries and violets. The palate is full and smooth with flavors of black fruit, red currants and a touch of sweet spice. Succulent and juicy, the blackberry and oak spice of this wine stand out in particular, and make this the perfect ‘anytime’ red wine. With medium body and well-integrated tannins, this vibrant fruit-forward wine has good structure and a long, lingering finish.