El Vino Prodigo 'La Vina de la Merce' Rioja Crianza

El Vino Prodigo is the brainchild of Pedro Pecina Gil. Pedro, or “Pedrito” (“little Pedro”) is the son of Pedro Pecina Sr. of Hermanos de Pecina Rioja fame. Pedro grew up with Rioja in his veins. His father worked for many years as the head agronomist at La Rioja Alta before starting Pecina in 1992. However, after having worked alongside his father for 20+ years, plus a couple of stints at two other Rioja Bodegas and even one in Texas, he decided in 2011, along with his wife Maria Ruiz, to begin his own project in Rioja.

La Vina de la Merce is named after Pedro's mother, who passed away tragically in a car accident when he was a child. The grapes come from a 35+ year-old Tempranillo vineyard at 580 meters in the Rioja Alta Zone planted in stony soils with a base of clay. The site is very windy, giving the wine an added dimension of intensity and brightness. Here, the wine is de-stemmed and fermented in tank and then aged 14 months in a combination of approximately 80% American and 20% French oak barrels, all used. It is textured and bright, with spicy red fruits, nice flesh, and an energetic palate.