2020 Sierra Cantabria Finca el Bosque Methusalem (5 liter)

The 2020 Sierra Cantabria Finca El Bosque Methusalem (5L) is a monumental expression of single-vineyard Rioja, crafted for collectors and grand occasions. Sourced from a tiny, old-vine parcel and bottled in an impressive 5-liter format, it marries power, precision and elegance in a way that few Tempranillo wines achieve. This is a wine that captures the character of a single, historic plot in San Vicente de la Sonsierra while showcasing the Eguren family’s obsessive attention to detail in the vineyard and cellar.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2020 Finca El Bosque shows an opaque, dense ruby to garnet core with a youthful purple rim, signaling both concentration and vibrancy. The nose is deep and layered: blackberries, black cherries and ripe plum unfold alongside violets, graphite and subtle wild herbs, supported by refined notes of vanilla, cocoa, toasted spice and a touch of smoke from the new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied yet poised, with that hallmark combination of muscular structure and silk-smooth texture – the “bodybuilder under a silk robe” character. Juicy black fruit—blackberry, cassis and dark cherry—interplays with hints of licorice, cocoa, sweet tobacco and fine cedar. The tannins are firm but velvety, superbly polished, and the acidity is bright and perfectly integrated, giving remarkable freshness and lift. The finish is very long, echoing black fruit, spice and a delicate vanilla note. In Methusalem format, the aging potential is exceptional: it will evolve gracefully for 15–25 years or more, gaining complexity and tertiary nuances of leather, truffle and dried flowers while retaining its core of fruit and freshness.

Production
Finca El Bosque is a minuscule, 1.48-hectare vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Rioja, planted in 1973 at around 500 meters above sea level. The terroir is calcareous clay rich in gravel and small rounded stones, which ensures excellent drainage and naturally low yields, concentrating flavor and structure in the Tempranillo grapes. The Eguren family farms the vineyard using environmentally integrated viticulture, working in harmony with the vine’s natural biorythms and applying biological fertilization every two years. Harvest is entirely manual, followed by an extraordinarily meticulous selection: bunches and individual berries are hand-sorted, and destemming is done by hand rather than machine. After a 5-day cold pre-fermentative maceration at 8 °C, fermentation takes place in French oak vats at around 28 °C using native yeasts selected from their own vineyards. Skin maceration lasts no less than 23 days to extract depth and structure. The wine is then aged for 18 months in new Bordelaise barrels—approximately 95% French oak and 5% Central European oak—allowing it to develop complexity while maintaining remarkable purity of fruit.

Food & Serving
This is a serious gastronomic wine that shines alongside richly flavored dishes: think slow-cooked lamb shoulder, roast beef rib, Iberian pork, venison or other game, as well as truffle risotto, wild mushroom dishes and aged hard cheeses like Manchego curado or Comté. Given its concentration and youth, it is best served at 16–18 °C. Decant generously—at least 2 hours, and up to 3–4 hours for maximum aromatic expression—especially in its Methusalem format, to allow the wine to fully unfurl its layers of dark fruit, spice and floral complexity. This large format is ideal for festive gatherings, where the wine can be followed in the glass over the course of an evening.

Producer
Sierra Cantabria is the flagship winery of the renowned Eguren family, one of the most respected names in Rioja and a driving force behind the region’s modern fine-wine renaissance. Based in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, they have long championed meticulously farmed, high-altitude vineyards and terroir-driven expressions of Tempranillo. Through estates like Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos de Páganos and others, the Egurens have earned international acclaim, high critical scores and a loyal following among collectors for their combination of traditional Rioja wisdom with cutting-edge precision. Finca El Bosque is one of their crown jewels—a single-vineyard bottling that consistently ranks among Rioja’s most coveted and ageworthy wines, underscoring Sierra Cantabria’s status as a benchmark producer in the region.

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