The flagship of Artadi. El Pisón is a vineyard with 2.4 hectares in Laguardia, the vines were planted in 1945 and are south-east facing. But this wine has also changed in character since 2022 due to the reduction of new wood and ageing in tonneau, demi-muids and 3000-liter barrels. Of course, the remaining 20 percent new wood means we still have a slight coffee note on the nose, roasted aromas and some coconut. Lots of black fruit, which comes from the location and the age of the vines. But the wine also breathes this away, it can handle it. Black cherry, some cassis, but the whole remains very fine. More like a Merlot from the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion. 2022 in this infinite finesse, Troplong Mondot went in this direction… Also a hint of Cabernet underneath, which of course isn’t there, because it’s a pure Tempranillo. But somewhere between Figéac and Troplong Mondot, the wine has red-fruity elements like a Léoville-Las-Cases. Basically, I would have blindly guessed this ultra-fine 2022 Bordeaux rather than the El Pison, which I had previously only known with significantly more wood. Light licorice, Nutella and pralines behind it, plus cream and caramel. Very chic nose – fine! You can sense the tannin, but the whole thing is silky and polished. The wine has a low pH value and therefore has an incredible freshness in the mouth! I wouldn’t have guessed that in 2022. We already had this in the form of associations with high-altitude Sangiovese in Valdegines and Chambolle Musigny in La Hoya. But in El Pison it comes in such a concentrated form! Very lean, intense acidity as if from early-picked raspberries – early-picked Pinot Noir, plus fresh Merlot, Sangiovese and supplemented by Cabernet Sauvignon from Saint-Julien. A dance around the middle – highly intense! This is pure finesse – not nearly as powerful as in the years and decades before. Now unvarnished, showing only the truth, only the limestone terroir with this high salt load. High altitude, cool climate, playful. But you have to like freshness, definitely. If I had told anyone in advance that you would experience such pronounced freshness and acidity in 2022 with Artadi – no one would have believed it. But I was a little forewarned by the other biodynamic producer Oxer. His wines, especially the Kalamity, were almost explosive in their freshness. The tannins in El Pison are also playfully light yet intense. The wine stands for two minutes in its Léoville-Las-Cases-like freshness. Slowly, associations with Château Lafite come to mind – the 2022 Lafite in particular could have been the inspiration here with its incredible finesse. Artadi 2022 is definitely an absolutely new experience. The winery has joined the ranks of absolute finesse winemakers. Pison 2022 is great, fine, fresh cinema!