Los Arrotos del Pendón Rosado

If we mention wines from the V.T. León, we have to talk about Prieto Picudo, the area’s leading variety.

Some online definitions even compare it to the Iberian lynx: typical of the Iberian Peninsula, ancient and on the verge of extinction. However, we can cross that last comparison off the list now because the variety is beginning to regain the status it once had.

A group of winegrowers are working hard to make this happen, one of whom is oenologist Raúl Pérez. This Leonese winery moved to the Los Oteros region, in the south of the province of León, just on the right bank of the river Esla, to produce Los Arrotos del Pendón Rosado.

Los Arrotos del Pendón Rosado comes from Pajares de Otero, specifically a plot lying at an altitude of 800 metres above sea level with stony clay soils and vines aged over 100 years old. Arrotos del Pendón Rosado macerates for two days with the skins and after devatting, it ferments with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. It then ages there for four months on its lees. It is bottled without filtering or clarifying.

Raúl Pérez avoids producing standardised wines, instead seeking authenticity in everything he makes. And he has succeeded again with Los Arrotos del Pendón Rosé: an unique and inimitable wine.