Castell de Raimat Tempranillo 2012

Ripe red currants, spicy, and smoky nuances. Notes of toastiness from the barrel and an elegant, rounded finish.

Bodegas Raimat, part of Grupo Codorniu, was established In 1914 when Manuel Raventos bought 7,907 acres of barren lands in the Province of Lleida. Back then, the Raimat estate was a stony wasteland on which a ramshackle castle stood. The construction of the Aragon and Catalonia canal in 1910 boosted the region's (Segria) irrigated area by some 107,243 acres and made its lands fertile once again. So, Manuel decided to open up over 62 miles of channels to water Raimat's parched lands. The estate's castle, which has been restored, is situated on a hill with commanding views over the local village. Crowning the gateway at Castell de Raimat, this 1627 Catalan stone carving of grapes and a hand overlooks the vineyards from which they handcraft their Raimat wines. The shield displays a bunch of grapes and a hand with the Catalan word, Raimat (raim = "grapes" and ma = "hand"), proving that there were once vineyards on the lands around the castle. The shield motif was adopted by Raimat as its trademark and is blazoned on the labels of all their wine bottles.