Events

Alejandro Fernandez in Moscow
July 2005

Alejandro Fernandez, great Spanish winemaker, visited Moscow in the middle of July.

"I could not imagine Moscow to be such a wonderful city. I am amazed with its great scale and proportions". With these words Alejandro opened a professional tasting in Vinum boutique.

Seventy-three year old Fernandez manages four bodegas — Tinto Pesquera and Condado de Haza in Ribera del Duero, Dehesa La Granja in Zamora and El Vinculo in La Mancha. He started to work at the age of 14 and worked the land together with his parents. When he was 17, he moved to the neighbouring village of Penafiel to be a carpenter. Then he got involved with agricultural machinery and made 4 patented inventions.

Fernandez dreamed that when he would get enough money he would buy a vineyard and make wine. His dream came true. His first estate was Tinto Pesquera, where he made wine exactly like his parents. "It carries 50-60-year old tradition of my parents", he said.

There were no miracles. All that he has achieved is the result of hard work.

The first wine of the tasting was Dehesa La Granja 2000. Fernandez bought a vineyard in 1998 , but bodega’s history goes 300 years back. He was enchanted with its underground cellar built in the 18th century. "Wines from here are released later than from Pesquera, as the cellar is cooler. Its temperature is 12 degrees". The wine has very clean, expressive aromas of black fruit with balsamic notes. The palate is fresh, tannins are finely grained, flavours of black fruit continue in the aftertaste.

El Vinculo 2001 continued the tasting. Alejandro frequently visited La Mancha but couldn’t understand why they produce unclean wines with high alcohol content there. "Nobody made real wine there". He inherited the bodega from his parents, and its name is translated as ’the joining link’. The first vintage in 2001 was not easy as grape pickers had to be trained for new thinking. La Mancha’s tradition goes that grapes are picked late and they are dirty. "They thought we were madmen". Fernandez’ people gathered 3-4 kg against the usual 20-25. A few years passed, and the new technique became common. El Vinculo has juicy, sweet taste of fruit with pronounced balsamic notes.

Tinto Pesquera Crianza 2002 comes from the renowned Tinto Pesquera bodega. "I don’t know where to start as so much is connected with this place". Thirty years ago it was the only estate producing red tinto, the rest were making rose wines. The first wine came in 1975 in the quantity of 25,000 bottles. At present four bodegas produce 25 million bottles. There are 10,000 barrels in Pesquera. They are lifted with a help of a special crane. Tinto Pesquera Crianza 2002 is an elegant, strong wine with flavours of dark cherries, strawberries, fine tannins and chocolatey aftertaste. Pesquera Reserva 2001 features a fine of fruits confits, a lifted palate, soft acidity and a lovely coffee and tobacco finish.

Condado de Haza Crianza 2002 also comes from Ribera del Duero, but from Condado de Haza bodega. "Condado is my dream. It is a large estate with a wine cellar modeled after a Bordeaux chateau. I needed 17 years to make it the way it is now". Condado de Haza Crianza 2002 shows complex, deep aromas, restrained fruity palate and strawberry aftertaste. Condado de Haza Reserva 2000 is fresh, minty and with sweeter fruit compared to Pesquera.

In Condado de Haza they also make Alenza (named after Alejandro and his wife Esperanza) by old tradition of fermenting wine with seeds and stalks. It is one of the finest Fernandez’ wines, it is handmade. On the palate an appealing bitter taste appears. Alenza Gran Reserva 1999 is still youthful and is distinguished by intense black fruit flavours and voluminous tannins.