El Vínculo Alejairén
Apricot, Tropical Fruit, Honey, Vanilla
Rich and loaded with texture
Alejandro Fernandez is considered one of the founding fathers of Ribera del Duero. His wines are synonymous with the region. He owns 4 wineries, 3 of which are in the D.O. While on vacation to visit La Mancha’s emblematic windmills that inspired Cervantes to write ‘Don Quixote’, Alejandro discovered 100 yr old Tempranillo vines amidst a sea of Airén grapes. His final winery project, El Vínculo, was born.
La Mancha boasts an extreme continental climate, where freezing winters give way, almost without transition, to scorching summers. In addition to the Tempranillo vines, Alejandro decided to work with the local grape, Airén, to make his first white wine. Airén has long been used to make brandy, but is almost never vinified to make a still wine.
Most notably, this wine is aged in large, neutral American oak barrels for 24 months. It is then aged a further 12 months in bottle before being released. The resulting wine is loaded with ripe apricot and tropical fruits, vanilla bean and crème brulee. Full on the palate, with great texture.