THE BODEGA Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Address: Ctra. Circunvalación s/n 49708 Villanueva del Campeán (Zamora) Website: www.bodegascenit.com Oenologist: María Jose Cepeda Year of foundation: 2004 Average annual production: 200,000 Sub-area: Viñas del Cenit is located in the heart of the historical Tierra del Vino de Zamora, a region that has some of the oldest and most unique vineyards in Spain Vineyard: Viñas del Cenit thrives on vineyards exclusively located in the municipalities of Villanueva de Campeán and Cabañas de Sayago, within the scope of the D.O. Tierra del Vino. Thanks to the climate in the region and the philosophy of the bodega, a viticulture is followed using environmentally-friendly organic products and the work is carried out in a sustainable manner Location: South-east of the province of Zamora, at both sides of River Duero Orography: Hills Altitude: 750 m Climate: Dry continental climate, cold winters, hot summers Average rainfall: 400 mm. Soils: Varied surfaces with sand, cobbles and clay; and clay with different depths Age of the vineyard: Old vineyards: Pre-phylioxera, over 120 years of age Young vineyards: 20-30 years of age Pruning system: Gobelet Plantation pattern: Old vineyards: 2.7 x 2.7 m Young vineyards: 1.30 x 3.30 m Plantation density: Average production: Old vineyards: 3,000 kg/ha Young vineyards: 5,000 kg/ha Harvest: Manual Irrigation: Scarce rainfalls Variety: Tempranillo Fermentation vats and tanks: The winery has 32 open stainless-steel vats where the temperature is controlled. They are tub-type vats with a maximum capacity of 4,000 kg. It also has two wooden tanks to ferment and age some of the more special lots. The capacity of the vats ranges between 1,000 and 25,000 litres Ageing: Ageing is exclusively carried out in French oak barrels from different cooperages. In general terms, we use the barrels for a maximum of 5 years, once and twice for wines from old vineyards (Cenit VDC, Cenit and Via Cenit) and the further uses are reserved for Aleo, Venta Mazarrón and Villano.
TIERRA DEL VINO DE ZAMORA In the search for unique vineyards on the left bank of River Duero and part of the millenary region of Tierra del Vino, Viñas del Cenit has accumulated some of the most unique centenary vineyards in Spain. River Duero crosses a landscape of vineyards from the cold province of Soria, giving meaning to regions such as La Ribera del Duero, Rueda or Toro, to Tierra del Vino de Zamora, changing its name as it enters our neighbour Portugal. The great appeal of this little-known denomination of origin resides in its very old and highly commendable Tempranillo vines, which are distributed throughout a fragmented cultivation of small plots of land, some of them very small, and whose fruit transmits a marked personality to the wines. The local Tempranillo varieties are, without a doubt, more opulent and warm, but they are also well balanced and they present a good acidity. They are also rich in tannins and in mineral expression. These qualities contribute to the excellent ageing capacity of these wines.
VINEYARDS The region of Tierra del Vino de Zamora has been producing wine since the 11th century, as we can see in the oldest texts found. Historically, the economy of the region was based exclusively on the production of wine and liqueur. This winegrowing and winemaking tradition and a love for the vineyard have helped preserve vineyards with over 150 years of age, specifically in the area of the bodega, in the village of Villanueva de Campeán. The different varieties that can be found in the region were introduced by the high volume of pilgrims that passed through this village while walking the Vía de la Plata. Throughout the years, this has given rise to a selection of the best clones and adaptations of these varieties, which in our case has resulted in a totally unique clone of the Tempranillo variety with a great personality. The vineyards are located around the bodega on hills that provide them different orientations and higher altitudes, thus favouring better maturations.
LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE This region is located on the far west and therefore it has a higher altitude than its closest winegrowing and winemaking village, Toro, reaching up to 750 m above sea level. This results in colder temperatures, especially during the summer and the month of September, which is essential in the maturation of grapes. In addition to this particularity, the region is subject to greater aeration, with a continuous breeze that refreshes and keeps the grapes healthy in the wetter seasons. The combination of these characteristics gives rise to an ecological winegrowing, as the climate conditions favour healthy crops.
SOILS The diversity of the soils in the region is largely due to three rivers having crossed through it in past times, mainly leaving very fine sand sediments but also areas where the land surface exclusively consists of cobbles. Another characteristic of these soils is their depth. This is because it is the final stretch of River Duero and therefore there is a larger amount of fine sediments. The soils are mainly made up of sand on the surface and clay at further depths. There are also areas where we can find a concentration of cobbles on the surface.
BODEGA AND WINEMAKING The winery has 32 open stainless-steel vats where the temperature is controlled. They are tub-type vats with a maximum capacity of 4,000 kg. It also has two wooden tanks to ferment and age some of the more special lots. The capacity of the vats ranges between 1,000 and 25,000 litres. The winemaking process is carried out with extreme care and in a fragmented way. The open vats with a capacity not exceeding 4,000 kg enable the making of wine from each of the different areas of the vineyard individually. These vats are the modern equivalent of the old press rooms, and it is where the essence of these centenary grapes is extracted. They are ideal for fermenting the Tempranillo variety of the region, as they allow the musts to oxygenate perfectly during the alcoholic fermentation, and they favour the contact of the thick skins of the old grapes with the must. Each vat is monitored individually with the aim of obtaining the best qualities from each of the vineyards. Plunging and pump overs are carried out manually. Once the alcoholic fermentation has concluded, and following a gentle pressing, the wine is taken directly to the barrel to undergo malolactic fermentation. The combination of the Tempranillo variety and the French oak barrel in this region is perfect, and the wines benefit from this extended contact with the wood, in such a way that it enhances and strengthens the personality of the grapes.
Usually, the barrels are chosen from different cooperages and they are used for a maximum of five years. The first and second uses are reserved for the wines grown in the older vineyards, such as Cenit VDC, Cenit and Via Cenit, and the remaining uses are saved for the rest of the wines. Varieties The region's Tempranillo clone, the Tinta Madrid as it is known here, has very special characteristics. It is strong like its neighbour Tinta de Toro, but elegant like the Tempranillo varieties used in Ribera. It has a thick skin full of tannins, but it has a smooth and granular texture on the palate. The expression of the aromas and tastes is very particular, with notes of coffee, liquorish and sweet spices even before it touches the wood. These two characteristics make it different to the Tinta de Toro, which is aromatically more inclined towards berries and black fruits and whose tannins are more noticeable.
OUR WINES Villano Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo Average annual production: 60.000 Villano is a full bodied, fruit forward wine that faithfully reflects its Zamoran origins while also being surprisingly sildy and fresh. It has the vivacity and energy of our younger vineyards and combines it with the wisdom and cunning mischievousness that only age lends to our older vines. Its Zamoran heritage blends the exuberance of the Tinta de Toro grapes with the finesse of the terroir of the D. O. Tierra del Vino de Zamora. It truly is an enchanting Villano. RATINGS VILLANO 2013 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2016 91 ptos. VILLANO 2012 WINE CELLAR- STEPHEN TANZER 2014 WINE SPECTATOR 2014 90 ptos. 89 ptos.
Venta Mazarrón Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo Aging: 8 months in oak barriques Average annual production: 90.000 Venta Mazarrón is intense and approachable in style. It has an excellent fruity and tannic concentration and is an excellent example of the elegance of the wines produced from our regions young vineyards that have an averae age of 40 years. In other parts of Spain these vineyards would actually be considered old. 2013 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2015 91ptos 2012 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2015 93ptos 2011 WINE CELLAR- STEPHEN TANZER 2014 90ptos GUÍA PEÑÍN 2014 93ptos
Vía Cenit Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo Aging: 12 months in french oak barriques Average annual production: 14.000 Vía Cenit is born from a selection of pre-phylloxeric vineyards that are between 80 and 100 years old. The area where his winery is found is famous for its numerous minuscule vineyards plots with a wide array of soil profiles and terrains with varying exposures to the sun. The intense aromatic expression of these grapes is packed with ripe fruits and sweet spices with hints of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. It is a rich and rounded wine with very finely polished tannins. 2013 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2015 2012 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2015 91 ptos 93 ptos STEPHEN TANZER 2014 2011 WINE SPECTATOR 2014 92 ptos 90 ptos GUÍA PEÑÍN 2014 93 ptos 2010 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2013 94 ptos
Cenit Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo Aging: 18 months in french oak barriques (100% new) Average annual production: 9.000-10.000 Cenit is a selection of pre-phyloxeric Tempranillo (known in this región as Tinta Madrid) vineyards that are aged between 120 and 150 years old. The grapes from these ancient vineyards are characterized by their thick skins that allow us to extract a wide array of complex aromas and flavours while giving us a high tannic concentration that give Cenit a silky mouthfeel and an exceptionally elegant personality. CENIT 2011 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2016 93 ptos CENIT 2010 GUÍA PEÑÍN 2015 STEPHEN TANZER 2014 CENIT 2009 WINE ADVOCATE GUÍA PEÑIN 2014 CENIT 2008 WINE ADVOCATE STEPHEN TANZER GUÍA PEÑIN 2013 95 ptos 92 ptos 96-98ptos 94ptos 94 ptos 93ptos 95 ptos CENIT 2006 WINE ADVOCATE 90 ptos