Description
Finca Museum are based in Cigales, a small Castilla y León DO east of Valladolid. As the name suggests, the winery is also a museum, boasting sculptures and paintings dating back to the 17th century. Although Cigales was once famed for its dry rosados (or ‘Clarete’), a result of co-fermenting field blends of red and white varieties, it is the Tinta del País, a thicker-skinned Tempranillo, that excels today.
The extreme continental climate of Cigales (with temperatures ranging from 40°C in the summer to -10°C in the winter), and its soils poor in organic matter, result in low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. The soils are so poor that other crops such as cereal cannot grow. It is primarily for this reason that the vines, many now over 50 years old, have survived in Cigales. These low-yielding, high-elevation bush vines, planted up to 800 metres above sea level, produce very thick-skinned grapes, resulting in wines of intense colour and flavour.Finca Museum owns close to 200 hectares of vineyards, with a further 100 hectares of old bush vines (over 50 years old) bought from growers on long-term contracts. All their vineyards are hand-harvested, with great care taken in selecting the grapes before crushing. In 2023, Finca Museum was certified by Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP), the first and only certification specifically designed for the wine sector regarding environmental sustainability.
The ‘Museum’ Reserva spends 12 months ageing in new French oak, plus a further 12 months in bottle. Very deep in colour, the wine is rich and complex with flavours of blackcurrant, liquorice, and roasted hazelnuts.
Deep ruby red in colour, this wine opens with aromas of red berries, blackcurrants and cranberries. The red fruit continues onto the palate, and is accompanied by savoury spice and liquorice. The finish is long, with hints of roasted hazelnut.