Ossian 2022
27.74₣ (Exc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Switzerland
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
They didn't have any frost in 2022 and were able to use grapes from all the plots for the 2022 Ossian. They have very old vines in Nieva and surrounding villages in the province of Segovia, 10 different villages, and it's rare that they all escape from frost. The blend is a very good representation, all fermented with indigenous yeasts in barrels and foudres, some in glass demijohns, which made for a very complete and pretty wine that seems to transcend the warm and dry character of the year. It has purity and is elegant and precise, with complexity, a fine thread and a very pleasant and varietal bitter twist in the finish. It has good ripeness, 13% alcohol and a sensation of balance, harmony and subtleness. 101,545 bottles produced. It was bottled in the summer of 2023.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Country
Region
Appellation
Alcohol
13.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 10ºC and 12ºC
Winemaking
Aged for 9 months in used and new French oak barrels. With bâtonnage on its lees.
Description
Nestled in the northernmost confines of the Roda DO, Ossian was born as an act of faith in the memory of old vines and viticulture without shortcuts. It was oenologist Javier Zaccagnini, former director of the Ribera del Duero DO, who came across a treasure about to disappear: more than 40 hectares of pre-phylloxera Verdejo vines, some planted at the end of the 19th century in the sandy areas of Nieva, Segovia, at an altitude of more than 800 metres above sea level. They were not uprooted because the roots of history are not so easily cut, and because the sand, like a silent ally, prevented the advance of phylloxera.
The project took shape under a clear premise: to respect as much as possible the pure, austere and mineral character of the Verdejo when it is allowed to speak without make-up. Cultivation is organic from the start, without herbicides, with traditional tillage and minimal intervention. Nieva, at this altitude and latitude, offers a completely different expression of Verdejo: cold nights, dry and sunny days, and a poor subsoil of siliceous sands with clay and pebble veins that imprint tension and verticality.
Winemaking
The grapes, harvested by hand in small boxes and selected bunch by bunch, arrive fresh at the winery at dawn. After a light pressing, the must ferments slowly in a millimetric combination of foudres and French oak barrels of different volumes, always used, always neutral, to let the wine speak louder than the wood. Fermentation is spontaneous, with indigenous yeasts, and ageing on fine lees lasts nine months, with moderate bâtonnage, providing texture without dulling the wine's natural electricity. There is no aggressive fining or harsh filtering. Ossian is bottled with the respect of those who know that purity does not need to be embellished, only guided.
Taste
In the glass, Ossian is a Verdejo that has forgotten the cliché of the easy, fruity wine. Here there is no tropical exuberance or complacent winks. Aromatically it presents itself as a mineral whisper, a field of dried thyme at dawn, with notes of lemon peel, almond blossom, hay and a faint reminder of hot stone after the storm. The air suits it well: it opens slowly, as if the wine also remembers.
On the palate, the entry is sharp, straight, with an almost saline tension, marked by vibrant acidity and a texture reminiscent of the feel of polished stone. This is not a wine of volume, but of depth. It moves forward firmly, with flavours that move between bitter almond, candied lime and dried camomile, and closes with a delicately bitter, herbaceous persistence that leaves a trail of dry freshness and noble austerity.
An uncompromising Verdejo, with a Burgundian spirit and a Castilian soul, which requires time, a large glass and a curious drinker. A wine for those who seek truth rather than applause.
Shipping to Switzerland
50% discount on orders over 376.48₣*Estimated transit time: 6-7 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over 376.48₣* |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | 22.73₣ | 11.37₣ (-11.37₣) |
| 7-12 | 28.14₣ | 14.07₣ (-14.07₣) |
| 13-18 | 34.73₣ | 17.37₣ (-17.37₣) |
| 19-24 | 43.67₣ | 21.84₣ (-21.84₣) |
| 25-30 | 48.94₣ | 24.47₣ (-24.47₣) |
| 31-36 | 54.59₣ | 27.30₣ (-27.30₣) |
| 37-42 | 58.36₣ | 29.18₣ (-29.18₣) |
| 43-48 | 60.24₣ | 30.12₣ (-30.12₣) |
| 49-54 | 65.88₣ | 32.94₣ (-32.94₣) |
| 55-60 | 71.53₣ | 35.77₣ (-35.77₣) |
| VAT not included | ||
** Shipments to Switzerland include transport costs, insurance and export costs (SAD in origin), but not customs duties (SAD at destination) and local taxes.
***At Gourmet Hunters wine prices are exempt from 21% VAT for all shipments to Switzerland. Once in your shopping cart select Switzerland as delivery address to enjoy your order tax free.
