Uva de Vida 'Sol del 19' Graciano/Tempranillo 2019 (750 ml)
Uva de Vida 'Sol del 19' Graciano/Tempranillo 2019 (750 ml)
70% Graciano, 30% Tempranillo
The Uva de Vida Sol del 19 comes from both Graciano grapes and Tempranillo, from gorgeous young vines planted on the estate’s clay and limestone soils. A natural fermentation in steel tanks took about 18 days to complete, and remained there through malolactic, and naturally decanted for two full years before bottling without any sulfite additions. The nose is dynamic, full of wildflowers, spicy fruits, violets and fresh earth. It leads to a smooth although very fresh palate, with a lovely balance between spicy tannin (from the Graciano), and a silky texture (from the Tempranillo), with notes of cherry, blueberry, and earthy umami. The wine is wild and earthy and ideal for bean dishes, pasta, cured meats, and hard cheeses.
Uva de Vida is a small, biodynamic farm in the Santa Olalla area of Toledo. Maria Carmen López Delgado started her project in 2005 after she found herself beating a serious illness through realizing that intimate work with the earth and all of its energy, could rejuvenate her own ailments. “If we take care of the earth, we take care of ourselves. Life has given me a new opportunity.” Together, with her husband Luis Ruiz, they work in the dry and extreme continental climate of Castilla with 9.5 hectares of Graciano (a fairly rare red grape in Spain, let alone Castilla), and 3 hectares of Tempranillo. Without even the use of copper or sulfur in the vineyard, they have a sincere passion and dedication to keeping their land perfect, in order to produce incredible grapes, situated between cereal fields and Cornicabra Olive groves. Music accompanies the vines and the cellar, in order to move subtle energy around using the gentle vibrations of sound waves. The Mandala image on the label of each bottle is their own complex geometric diagram of their vineyard (at 40˚ latitude), which outlines these energetic vibrations that are so crucial to their biodynamic farming practices. Further label info: The 8 pointed star references the Arabic & Jewish past of Toledo, which represents the connection between heaven & earth, the stable balance between spirit (cosmic) & matter (telluric). Also, it pays homage to the ancient Mediterranean civilizations that worshiped the sun, which they represented with 8 rays as a hallmark of spiritual realization, representing the sum of all aspiration, a symbol of life that inspires us.