90 Jay Miller - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2004 El Vinculo, from a superior vintage, is purple-colored. It offers a more expressive nose and riper, sweeter fruit on the palate. The wine has excellent balance and length. Drink it over the next 5-7 years." 90 Points - Jay Miller - Wine Advocate

"Deep ruby. Dark berries and kirsch on the nose, with earthier tobacco and mocha adding depth. Ripe cherry and bitter chocolate flavors are lifted by a gentle mineral component, which adds cut to the finish. Plenty ripe but also precise and energetic. More vibrant and pure than the 2003." 90 Points - Josh Raynolds - International Wine Cellar

ESTATE:
"The El Vínculo winery is the result of an old idea Alejandro Fernández had: making a great wine in La Mancha. He finally found what he was looking for after travelling around the region for some time. What he discovered were good very mature Tempranillo vines acclimatised to local conditions. If the vines were well cared for, selected and their production controlled, that great wine from La Mancha that Alejandro had always dreamt about could finally become a reality."

"That is how Alejandro’s latest great project —and last for the time being— began. A beautiful typical building from La Mancha located near the windmills of Campo de Criptana and next to the railway station was reconverted into a modern winery designed to make limited quantities of top-quality wine. The name chosen for the winery, “El Vínculo”, is a homage to the old family winery located in the Duero area. The first vintage, that of 1999, appeared in December 2001 after undergoing malolactic fermentation, 16 months of ageing in oak barrels and another 6 months in the bottle."

"The Tempranillo vineyards located in La Mancha follow the same cycle as those in the Duero area, or almost. They are subjected to more sun, greater heat, less humidity and the same cold. They grow in an area with an extreme continental climate of freezing winters that suddenly give way to very hot summers almost without any sort of transition. Temperatures reach up to 45º C in the summer and –15º C in the winter in an area that receives more the three thousand hours of direct sunlight per year. Although the land is flat, the mountains that surround the whole region make it difficult for wet fronts coming in from the sea to penetrate. Annual rainfall ranges from 300 to 400 mm per year and droughts, sometimes for prolonged periods, affect this area. That is why careful drip irrigation is essential to ensure top-quality grapes are available at harvest time. " -Importer

This wine was also scored 89 Points by the Wine Enthusiat