It started with a family trip to Spain in 2010 that turned into a wine. I was really inspired by the countryside of my forefathers and when I returned from that summer trip, I budded a new block of vineyard to Tempranillo. My thought was to make a new/old world Spanish blend. A couple of years later we planted Garnacha and thought we were well on our way to a Tempranillo, Garnacha and Petite Sirah blend. It never happened! The Tempranillo and Garnacha wines were so terrific, we decided to make them single varietal wines that have quickly become our most popular wines.
That trip to Madrigal de las Altas Torres laid the groundwork for Madrigal Family in Spain. Our middle son, Santiago, ended up going to a language institute and working 2 harvests in Ribiera de Duero (80 miles from the town of Madrigal). He now attends St. Louis University in Madrid. Our youngest son Pierce is also drawn to Spain and will begin his freshman year at IE University, in Madrid, in the fall.
We planted a new block of Tempranillo and Garnacha, so with the 2016 vintage the dream of a Spanish blend will come true. During Easter break, my sons and I visited the winery where Santiago worked harvest, Valtonar Bodega in Roa, Spain. Alfonso and his father, Saturn, let us taste their awesome wines and we talked about production methods and blending. What a great couple of days!
This wine will be released on our 25th Anniversary, in 2019, but we have a problem. This wine doesn’t have a proprietary name. We have always had our wine family name our blends. Charlie Tobler named Sonnet #63 in 2004 and Carlos Madrigal named Nuestra Sangre in 2012.
So a contest is in order. From now until July 15, 2018 please send us your entry for the name of our 2016 Estate Spanish blend. The winner will receive 1 case and a 5 ltr. of the inaugural blend. Charlie and Carlos can tell you that winning this contest has residual benefits.
Good Luck!