2018 Artadi Vina El Pison

2018 Artadi Viña El Pisón is one of Rioja’s most coveted single-vineyard Tempranillos, a wine that regularly sits among Spain’s finest. Born from a tiny 2.4-hectare plot in the medieval village of Laguardia, this cuvée is renowned for its haunting perfume and Burgundian finesse. The 2018 vintage earned 99 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and is widely regarded as one of the greatest editions ever bottled, underlining its status as a modern Spanish icon.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2018 Viña El Pisón shows a deep, luminous ruby core with delicate violet hues at the rim, hinting at both concentration and freshness. The nose is intensely aromatic and refined, opening with violets, Asian spices and wild herbs, followed by layers of red and black cherries, ripe plum and hints of croissant, black tea, balsamic and fine oak. Already at a young age it is remarkably complex, with a seductive, almost Burgundian fragrance reminiscent of great Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanée. On the palate, El Pisón is seamless and silken, with extraordinary purity and precision. The attack is graceful yet deep, showing vibrant red fruit, dark cherry and blackberry intertwined with savory herbal notes, subtle cocoa, licorice and a fine mineral thread from the limestone-rich soils. Tannins are ultra-refined and powdery, giving structure without aggression, while the acidity is juicy and perfectly integrated. The finish is very long, clean and focused, echoing floral and balsamic notes long after each sip. This vintage has a long life ahead; it can be approached now with a good decant, but will really start to shine after 5–7 years in bottle and has the potential to evolve beautifully for 20+ years in a proper cellar.

Production
Viña El Pisón comes from a single 2.4-hectare amphitheatre-like vineyard in the village of Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa, planted in 1945. The site combines limestone, clay and sandstone at the surface, underpinned by deep layers of limestone and silt, giving both aromatic lift and mineral tension to the wine. Old, low-yielding Tempranillo vines are carefully tended and harvested by hand at optimal ripeness, with strict selection of only the best berries. In the cellar, the grapes undergo a 24–48 hour cold maceration before fermentation with indigenous yeasts in oak vats for around 10–12 days, with traditional foot treading twice daily to gently extract color, aroma and fine tannins. The wine then matures for about nine months in French oak barrels, allowing it to gain texture and complexity while preserving its purity and vineyard character.

Food & Serving
2018 Viña El Pisón is a superb partner for refined, flavorful dishes such as roast lamb with herbs, slow-braised beef cheeks, venison or pigeon, as well as richly seasoned Iberian pork and truffled poultry. It also shines alongside mushroom-based dishes, roasted root vegetables, and aged hard cheeses like Manchego or Comté. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) in large Burgundy-style glasses to highlight its aromatic nuances. Decant for 1–2 hours in its youth to allow the wine to open fully; with more bottle age, a shorter decant or simply pouring into the glass and allowing it to evolve slowly at the table is ideal.

Producer
Artadi began life in the 1980s as a small growers’ cooperative in Laguardia, before visionary winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle transformed it into one of Rioja’s most influential bodegas in 1992. Rejecting the old paradigm of long oxidative aging and the strict Crianza/Reserva/Gran Reserva categories, Artadi pioneered a terroir-driven, vineyard-focused approach, using low yields, careful vineyard work and French oak to highlight the purity of Tempranillo. Their single-vineyard wines, led by Viña El Pisón, helped redefine what Rioja could be and quickly gained international acclaim. Today, Artadi is recognized as a benchmark estate in Rioja Alavesa, with multiple high scores from top critics and a reputation for producing some of Spain’s most elegant, ageworthy and sought-after wines.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.