Campo Viejo to launch white Tempranillos
Pernod Ricard’s winemaking team behind Campo Viejo will launch their first Tempranillo Blanco wines next month, following trials at the Rioja brand’s new Experimental Winery.
The Tempranillo Blancos, branded under the line Cata Cero, are believed to be the first of their respective styles in the region - one being a fresh, un-oaked wine, the other having undergone carbonic maceration.
The Tempranillos are half of a quartet of new 2013 vintage, limited edition bottles that prevailed from over a dozen experiments to create new wine styles at the brand’s Experimental Winery - a scaled-down version of its 1.9m-case-producing main facility - that was opened last year.
They are joined by two other white wines, Verdejo/Chardonnay and Verdejo/Viura blends to be launched this year. Next year, a new batch of experimental wines will be unveiled.
According to Campo Viejo winemaker Roberto Vicente, Tempranillo Blanco has been in existence since 1988, after mutating from the traditional black Tempranillo grape, but was only added to the Consejo Regulador’s list of permitted white varieties in 2008.
In line with the tradition of the region, up to now producers have tended to age the grape in oak.
The Cata Cero range will be sold on Campo Viejo's online and winery stores from June and will number 500-1,000 bottles per style.