Etérea Kripan, San Julian Tinto 2020, Rioja Spain

TASTING NOTE

A casual 96-point wine! It is detailed, floral and elegant, with a fresh palate, very fine

tannins and graphite-y edge. It's perfumed yet serious, like having a Burgundian nose

and a Bordelaise palate. This will cellar for a ridiculous amount of time but is equally

enjoyable now for it's elegant power and uniqueness.

PRODUCER

Etérea Kripan is the project of Melanie Hickman and David Sampedro in Rioja Alavesa,

rooted in biodynamic farming and a fierce respect for old vines. Working steep,

often hidden vineyards by horse and hand, they focus on single parcels and rare

varieties, rescuing forgotten plots and giving them new voice. Every wine is small-scale,

low-intervention, and deeply site-specific — Rioja seen through a lens of purity,

freshness and soulful craft.

VINEYARD INFORMATION

From a 1-ha plot of 100+ year-old bush vines on steep limestone slopes at 600 m.

Yields are tiny; farming is biodynamic, horses used instead of tractors, ensuring the soils

remain alive and balanced.

VINIFICATION

Hand-selected bunches foot-trodden in open-top barrels with 40% stems. Wild

fermentation with native yeasts, followed by 24 months in new French oak and 36

months bottle ageing. Minimal handling, gravity racking only.