May 2025 Tinto Club
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Jané Ventura 2020 SumollRegular Price: $47.99
Club Price: $40.79
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Started in 1914, Jané Ventura today is owned and operated by the fourth generation - Gerard Jané. The Jané's focus is working with indigenous varietals in a sustainable way with respect for tradition, the land, and the native varieties of the region. Sumoll was the most planted native red grape variety in Penedès sixty years ago, and Jané Ventura is one of the pioneers bringing it back since the 2001 vintage.
Their 2020 Sumoll is a beautiful expression of their philosophy too—The fruit comes from old, organically farmed vines in Baix Penedès and surrounding areas, where vineyards stretch from the Mediterranean coast up into the hills. This variation in altitude, combined with the influence of sea breezes and cooler mountain air, helps preserve the grape’s natural acidity and freshness—essential for highlighting Sumoll’s bright, slightly rustic character.
Terroir plays such an integral part, and an inspiration to crafting their wines that the winery created a detailed soil map that's revealed 18 distinct soil types across 20 hectares, allowing them to match each vine to the ideal site. Made with minimal intervention, Their 2020 Sumoll reflects not just the grape, but the landscape and thoughtful, low-impact viticulture behind it.
Gerard has a passion for both the local music culture and the picturesque landscape, both of which are portrayed in the wines and on the labels. For Jané Ventura, wine and music are closely linked—both tell a story and stir emotion. The estate often hosts events where wines are paired with musical compositions, enhancing the sensory experience, he believes it adds a thoughtful, sensory layer to enjoying the wine. The artwork on this bottle shows the painting "For the first time man can feel” by Marina Durany, which belongs to the trilogy “Three vital grapes”.
Gerard has a holistic approach to his work, involving his love for the soil, grapes, music, sea and air, all of which combine to produce these beautifully crafted wines.
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Calados 2019 del PuntidoRegular Price: $39.99
Club Price: $33.94
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Bear with us, this month we are getting into a few nerdy cult wine labels, so if we sound like we are getting a little obsessive it's because cool, labor-of-love wine projects really get us excited. And you should too!
The story of Viñedos de Páganos needs a little context to truly appreciate. Historically, the winemaking culture of Rioja was to produce wines that were blended from vineyard sites all across the region. However in the 1980s premier producers such as Bodegas Contina, Remelluri, and Muga began to shift their focus to single vineyard, terroir-driven styles of wine making, and the rest of the industry gradually began to follow suit. While most producers opted to simply purchase large estates with hundreds of hectares, a few decided to really focus on single-site expressions.
Enter cult wine producer Sierra Cantabria, the founder of the Viñedos de Páganos label. While they are not the largest or most famous producer in the region, they are legendary among Rioja connoisseurs. If you ask them what they do, they will tell you they are farmers first. Their winemaking style deeply focuses on quality and purity of fruit, especially with regard to terroir. Even their Reserva and Grand Reserva wines tend to rely on used oak barrels in order to minimize the impact of the wood in order to let the personality of the fruit character to though.
Noticing this the shift in Rioja towards single origin expressions of tempranillo, Sierra Cantabria founded the Viñedos de Páganos in 2001 to celebrate two particularly excellent sites just adjacent the town of Páganos. Vineyards Nieta and Puntido are located between the Erbo river and the Sierra Cantabria Mountains, and rest atop the benchlands carved out by said river long ago. La Nieta, a single 0.25 hectare plot, has gained legendary status internationally and usually rides around $200 a bottle. To this day it remains a must-have for serious Rioja collectors. This month, we were fortunate enough to book one of its sister labels, Calados del Puntido.
The El Puntido Vineyard is located on the benchlands, but is a few kilometers closer to Laguardia. The soil is typical of the area, limestone and clay rich, sandwiched between layers of blended limestone and sandstone. The grapes that go into the Calados come from lower, more clay dominant blocks, but also receives declassified barrels from the El Puntido and El Puntido Gran Reserva labels, which are the Reserva and Gran Reserva from the same vineyard, respectively. The entire plot is organically dry farmed, with some biodynamic practices exercised. Planted in 1975.
Akin to the spirit of Sierra Cantabria, the Calados del Puntido is a celebration of fruit, and is entirely Tempranillo. The wine is completely destemmed, and is allowed to macerate with indigenous yeasts for four days before being crushed. After full fermentation, the wine is set down in an assortment of used oak barrels for 16 months before bottling. It pours a deep cherry red. Ripe and juicy red fruits greet the nose while notes of wood, licorice and balsamic round out the aroma. The palate shows a well-integrated swath of the aforementioned, plus a sort of creamy texture and aroma. Hints of dark cacao and dusty earth accent the finish. Enjoy with prime rib or let age for decades to come.
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