Antídoto
The wine from the land of Soria. First year of vintage: 2009
Antídoto is a wine coming from a mosaic of 550 old vine plots of land mainly made of pebbles, located in the Soto de San Esteban area. It has a yield production of 3500 kilos per hectare in the eastern part of the DO Ribera de Duero in Soria.
The sandy soil with river stones provides Antídoto with an intense and spring-like aroma and a delicate and vertical mouth-feel.
Vineyard:
Grape variety: 100% Soria Tinto Fino.
Age: Old vine.
Soil: 505% Sandy with river stones, 20% calcareous sand and 30% clay.
Altitude: 950 m.
Appellation : DO Ribera del Duero.
Harvest: Manual in 12 kg boxes.
Grape origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under the criteria established by the winery.
Tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation–maceration 100%: 6 day, 25ºC.
Barrel aging process: 10 months in 600 liter French oak (16% new oak).
Production 2020: 165.000 bottles.
Antídoto 2020. The bountiful vintage
2020 was generous in terms of the amount of grapes harvested, but form the very begining we established a close monitoring on the “tsunami” that was being created by the cycle of the vine.
Our aim was to follow and accompany the logic of the vineyard with its abundant fruit, so as not to go against the trend that the Nature itself was tracking. At the same time, we would keep an eye on the production in order to avoid excesive productions. This way, we managed to harvest 6000 kilos per hectare. The grape was very good and plentiful, even for old vines in Soria.
The climate in February was specially warm and we had to wait till March to feel the cold.
Then came some snow, like the one we registered on the 16th. The heavy rainfall of April led to a sprout on day 21st, which was something never seen before in Soria, around ten to fifteen days before when compared year-on-year. These rains protected the plants against spring frost. In June, a dry regime came after the previous rainy period. The flowering occurred on June 15th, and the veraison could be perceived towards the end of July, keeping those ten days ahead of the usual dates.
August went normally, being very hot and without rain. On the 31st, the frost appeared in the vineyard. In September we noted that the sun was no longer warming as it usually does in the final days of the summer in Soria. In Autumn, minimum temperatures ranging between 5º and 0ºC were recorded. And on September 20th, 33 liters of water were collected, which came to homogenize the level of ripeness of the grape.
Bunches were harvested from 1st to 16th October..
The wine: It shows a spontaneous and direct fruit expression, being at the same time very frank. The vintage has marked a deeply organic character in the nose and mouth, where it also surprises a sensual undulating texture
Grape origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under the criteria established by the winery.
Tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation–maceration: 6 day, 25ºC.
Barrel aging process: 8 months in 600 liter French oak (15% new oak).
Production 2019: 110.000 bottles.
Hot and Dry Summer
At the beginning of the year, the winter was dry. Heat appeared between 18 and 28 February after some snows, but neither the vineyard grass grew nor the buds stood out as the soils and sub-soils were cold.
The sprouting happened on 30 April where the rains came. May brought important frosts on 4th and 6th day.There was also an intense coldness in spring which made the vineyard lose the sprouts and the first buds , but not the second ones. This fact ensured the plant well- being and it was not even affected by the “hydric stress” provoked by the registered rains.
The vineyard as corollary produced few grapes but with no suffering from the plant.
Vintage 2019 was characterised by summer weather as hot and very dry in the Sorian soils. The heat wave registered by the end of June ( flowering happened on 25 June) was 40oC for 10 days and the same happened in the last days of July.
By 10 August 50%of veraison had been completed.
There was no rain till the first half of September when there were 40 liters of water accumulation.
The vineyard had a great vegetative growth in its leaves and stems in spite of the strong heat. The water excess of 2018 helped to relieve the consequences of the high temperature.
The situation of the extra vitality of the plant helped the wines from vintage 2019 to preserve a more evident intensity and at the same time an elegant balance.
Grape origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under the criteria established by the winery.
Tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation–maceration: 6 days at 25oC.
Barrel aging process: 8 months in 600 liter French oak (15%new oak).
Production 2018: 135.000 bottles.
Vintage 2018: A four-season year at last!
In 2018 we observe the passing of the four-season year in the vineyard in Soria. Winter was cold with intense rains, a lot of snow in January, February, March and even on 10 and 11 April. The vegetation woke up as usual, the almond trees flourished on 3 April and the bud break was noted on 27 April.
Spring was characterized by rains, cold and the frosts which happened 1 and 13 May. That situation provoked important changes in the growing rhythms of the plants.
The winter weather lasted until the middle of June. On 19 June, sun and summer weather appeared as a consequence, the vines started to flourish on 21 June, this cycle lasted until the beginning of July.
In summer there were moderate temperatures (30oC) and this season was marked by rains and some scattered storms. This condition made the plants grow and improve their vegetative rhythms until the end of July (normally the vegetation stops its natural growth at the beginning of July). Thus, this situation is more typical in an Atlantic vegetative cycle than in the Ribera del Duero.
From August to October the weather was dry with normal temperatures and many sunny days. This provoked a slow ripening and the making of complex aromas in the Tinto Fino.
The weather in the vintage 2018 gave a nice atmosphere and a vegetative quantity in the Soria vines. Consequently, their wines show generosity and intensity in nose with hints of red fruits together with refreshing vegetal notes and a smooth mouth-feel.
Vine Origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under established criteria of the winery. The mainly tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation – macerationn: 6 days at 25ºC.
Oak ageing process: 12 months in semi-new French oak barrels.
Production 2017 : 48.000 bottles.
Antídoto 2017
Vintage 2017 was defined by general frosts and low wine production all over Spain. However, the area of Soria, due to a usually later grapevines’ flowering did not suffer from this frost. Winter was dry and not very cold. Spring was dry with cool temperatures. There was a gradual sprouting from 20 April to 5 May. The flowering happened early and very quick, from 5 to 12 June, so we could assume that we would have a homogeneous maturation and a quick harvest.
Just before the summer starts, at the end of June, there was an unusual summer heat wave for the time, with temperatures that reached 38o during a period of fifteen days, which caused the grapes to acquire a thick skin and have little pulp. In July we returned to “normal” maximum temperatures, minimum ones were pretty cold, and we had 70 liters of rain (very expected) on July 7, 8 and 9. We had an early ripening, it started on 25 July, fifteen days in advance.
August was characterized by rather hot days and cool nights. We noted 50 liters of rain on days 27, 28 and 29, which allowed to keep the vines cool despite the general drought of the year. Antídoto 2017 was harvest from 23 September until 2 October.
Antídoto 2017: Despite the droughts in 2016 and 2017, the old vines, due to reasonable yields, produced balanced grapes. 2017 Vintage provided density, unctuous texture tannins, vivacity due to de climate of Soria and forest fruit aromas to Antídoto 2017.
Vine Origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under established criteria of the winery. The mainly tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation – macerationn: 6 days at 25ºC.
Oak ageing process: 12 months in semi-new French oak barrels.
Production 2016 : 80.000 bottles.
Antídoto 2016
The 2016 vintage was a kind gift from nature in terms of quality and quantity. It reminds us the 1990 and 1982 vintages in France which were mythical.
Rain season was scarce although in the important moments it rained little but enough to give way to the Antídoto vintage.
In our winery notebook, we wrote down with surprise the rose coming in January due to the high winter temperatures and we had to wait for March to feel the first cold and, then, snow in the following month.
However, the vine sprouting happened on the 29 April as it is still current. The whim of nature with new cold postponed the flowering till the end of June. Summer had no rains and the remarkable temperature variations made the vineyard control its metabolism.
September rains made the ripening processes be relaunched, carrying the created substances from the vine to the grapes all along the summer.
The 2016 vintage has given way to an Antídoto with a fair alcohol level (13º), a sweet acidity and polished finished tannins.
Vine Origin: Antídoto winegrowers cultivate under established criteria of the winery. The mainly tendency to grow ecologically.
Fermentation – macerationn: 6 days at 25ºC.
Oak ageing process: 12 months in semi-new French oak barrels.
Production 2015 : 54.000 bottles.
Antídoto 2015
Winter has been cold, but not different from previous years. The snow covered the rockiest parts of Somosierra and Picos de Urbión. Under these conditions, the vineyard began to get out of its hibernating state in February with the “weeping”, the first living manifestation of the vine.
The sprouting took place on the 3 May, following a very hot week from the 7 to the 11 May. However, the plants were threatened by the frosts happened from the 20 to the 25 of this month. The plant mass strength was tested when this sudden temperature change came.
In summer, the Soria mountainous scenery and the groundwater from its valleys usually calm down the vine vigor. Also, some temperature drops, noted at the end of July among the 20 and the 28 at 15ºC at night, allowed the vine to gain strength.
The “veraison” took place exactly on the 28 July.
With regard to the rains, we noted 30 liters on the 21 July and 43 liters on 24 August, rainwater which stopped the growing cycle and supported the homogeneous growth of the vineyard as a whole.
September was at normal temperature, but with more moderate maximum temperature than usual. In the very beginning of autumn, frosts on the vineyard were seen on the 19 and 24 day. This situation with cool mornings and nights preserving the grape flavors is very common in this Soria part of the Ribera del Duero DO.
In spite of the extreme summer conditions, the fruit of the vine had ripened smoothly. The spring frosts reduced the volume of grape in the vineyard and encouraged the ripening process of the grapes, a remarkable aspect in Antídoto 2015 wines.
Origin of the vines: purchased under the growing criteria of the winery. Principally ecological.
Fermentation and maceration: 6 days at 25ºC.
Oak aging: 12 months in used French barrels (600 litres).
Production in 2014: 70,000 bottles.
2014, a legendary year of vintage
The intervention of nature blessed the year of vintage 2014 with favourable weather just at the right time. It was getting into September and the temperatures began to drop in the days leading up to St. Matthew’s day. At the same time, the rain recorded was enough to hydrate a vineyard that had experienced periods of drought in spring and, in general, a summer with little water although the temperatures had been mild. This was essential for the maturation of the bunches, before harvest.
A unique, perfect combination to create a legendary year of vintage.
Antídoto 2014 displays a surprising expression of ripe fruit on the nose, without excessive maturation, with a subtle woody aroma that provides precision and clarity to the whole. On the palate it is generous, ‘gargantuan’ (Sourdais is reminded of the writer Rabelais, born near his hometown of Chinon, Loire) and maintains a cool and silky balance, distinguished by the ‘terroir’ of Soria, whose altitude softens the summer rigour.
Antídoto 2014. Parker 92+
Antídoto 2014. Guía Peñín 90