COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 14 March 2019

on the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union of the single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and of the publication reference of the product specification for a name in the wine sector

(‘El Vicario’ (PDO))

(2019/C 106/03)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 97(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Spain submitted an application for protection of the name ‘El Vicario’ in accordance with Section 2 of Chapter I of Title II of Part II of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.

(2) In accordance with Article 97(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the Commission examined that application and found that the conditions laid down in Articles 93 to 96, 97(1), 100, 101 and 102 of the Regulation had been met.

(3) In order to allow statements of objection to be submitted in accordance with Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of that Regulation and the publication reference of the product specification given during the national procedure for examining the application for protection of the name ‘El Vicario’ should be published in the

Official Journal of the European Union

,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The single document drawn up in accordance with Article 94(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and the publication reference of the specification for the name ‘El Vicario’ (PDO) are contained in the Annex to this Decision.

In accordance with Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, objections to the protection of the name specified in the first paragraph of this Article may be submitted within two months of the date of publication of this Decision in the

Official Journal of the European Union

.

Done at Brussels, 14 March 2019.

For the Commission

Phil HOGAN

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

.

ANNEX

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘El Vicario’

PDO-ES-N1634

Date of submission of the application: 16.4.2012

1.   

Name(s) to be registered

El Vicario

2.   

Type of geographical indication

PDO — Protected Designation of Origin

3.   

Categories of grapevine products

1.

Wine

4.   

Description of the wine(s)

Partially barrel-fermented white wine, white wine from black grape varieties and rosé wine

The white wines vary in colour from lemon to gold with hints of yellow, or from yellow-steel to pale pink when produced from black grape varieties. The rosé wines have an intense, vibrant raspberry colour with slight hints of purple. All the wines are glossy and unctuous.

The nose offers tropical and summer fruit aromas, with balsamic notes of eucalyptus and aniseed tones in the rosé.

The wines have a full-bodied, fresh taste. The white wines are characterised by their milky and grapefruit aromas, whilst the wines produced from black grape varieties offer aromas of fresh grass with hints of salt. The rosé wines have a certain weightiness, persist in the mouth and have an avid, fruity flavour.

General analytical characteristics

Semi-sweet white wine

Ranging in colour from lemon to gold, clear, bright and dense.

The wine offers tropical aromas with hints of fresh mint.

The wine has a fruity taste, characterised by a fresh acidity and delicate sweetness reminiscent of fruit in syrup and tropical fruit.

General analytical characteristics

Red wines produced from a mixture of indigenous and foreign varieties

Appearance: cherry red with a medium to strong coating. Bright. May contain slight residue of tartaric salts or polymerised polyphenols.

Nose: fruit comes to the fore, with balsamic aromas after breathing.

Taste: fruity, fresh, with balsamic notes and pleasant tannins. Fused with woody tones, producing a slightly smoky aftertaste.

Red wines produced from a mixture of indigenous and foreign varieties

Appearance: very intense cherry red, very glyceric, clean and bright. May contain slight residue of tartaric salts or polyphenols.

Nose: red fruit aromas. Pronounced balsamic notes and odour of fallen leaves. Milky tones and notes of barrel-ageing which do not dominate the fruity aromas. Fresh and complex.

Taste: presence of mature tannins. Complex, with fruity, mineral and milky notes. Balanced alcohol-to-acid ratio. Fruity aftertaste lingers on the palate.

General analytical characteristics

Sweet red wine

Appearance: intense

bigarreau

cherry red. Nose: balsamic, fresh wines with avid notes of compote and fruit in liqueur. Taste: pleasant on the palate, with a sweetness reminiscent of figs, apricot and jam.

General analytical characteristics

5.   

Wine-making practices

a.   

Essential oenological practices

Specific oenological practice

The maximum yield after pressing (at a maximum pressure of 2 bars) is 70 litres per 100 kg of grape.

For barrel-fermented white wine at least 15 % of must is fermented on lees for between 4 and 8 months, in barrels made from European oak with a volume of between 225 and 500 litres and no older than two years of age. The remaining must used to produce barrel-fermented white wine and the must used to produce white wine from black grape varieties and semi-sweet white wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks at a temperature of between 11 °C and 20 °C.

As regards red wines, fermentation takes place at a temperature of between 14 °C and 32 °C.

For all red wines, maceration lasts between 5 and 22 days. The wine is then aged in oak barrels with a volume of between 225 and 300 litres.

b.   

Maximum yields

Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot

9 000 kg of grapes per hectare

Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot

63 hectolitres per hectare

Tempranillo (for red wines), Syrah and Garnacha Tinta

12 000 kg of grapes per hectare

Tempranillo (for red wines), Syrah and Garnacha Tinta

84 hectolitres per hectare

Tempranillo (for white wine from black grape varieties)

15 000 kg of grapes per hectare

Tempranillo (for white wine from black grape varieties)

105 hectolitres per hectare

Cabernet Sauvignon

10 000 kg of grapes per hectare

Cabernet Sauvignon

70 hectolitres per hectare

Graciano and Petit Verdot

13 500 kg of grapes per hectare

Graciano and Petit Verdot

94,5 hectolitres per hectare

6.   

Demarcated geographical area

The area comprises 86 parcels from nine zones situated in the municipality of Ciudad Real.

The geographical area covers 1 252 hectares.

7.   

Main wine grapes

 

SAUVIGNON BLANC

 

CHARDONNAY

 

TEMPRANILLO — CENCIBEL

 

MERLOT

8.   

Description of the link(s)

ENVIRONMENT (NATURAL AND HUMAN FACTORS)

‘El Vicario’ is the name of an area located on the River Guadiana. The name refers to the El Vicario dam.

The area has a width of approximately 2 km from the river bed and a length of 7 km, with natural boundaries formed by the ‘Casas del Batan’ and ‘Cabeza del Fraile’ regions to the east and the ‘Cerro de Sancho Rey’ and ‘El Sedano’ regions to the west. The entire area belongs to the municipality of Ciudad Real.

The entire demarcated area has a gently undulating relief, generally decreasing as it heads towards the river. The soil is calcareous, with a light texture, well drained and averagely fertile.

Being close to a river and a dam, the area, with its oak thickets and scrubland, has a milder mesoclimate which limits extreme weather conditions.

The soil is calcareous and shallow, with a light texture. It has high levels of calcium which, on average, exceeds 15 mEq/100 g (> 3 000 ppm). Calcium levels are therefore appreciably higher than in the other wine-growing areas of Castilla-La Mancha where they average between 8 and 10 mEq/100 g (1 600-2 000 ppm). The calcium content is of particular importance as calcareous soil is excellent for vine growing.

HUMAN FACTORS:

The oenological practices used are what most distinguish the production of ‘El Vicario’ wine from that of the neighbouring La Mancha PDO area. This is because the white wine is produced using black grapes and the partially barrel-fermented white wine is produced using Garnacha Tinta or Tempranillo without maceration (blanc de noir).

Furthermore, the characteristics of the aged red wines have the following differences:

DESCRIPTION OF THE WINE

Some of the principal characteristics of the red wines include their delicacy and very subtle scrubland feel, their balance between tannins and acids and their moderate alcohol content.

In addition to its obvious aromatic character, the rosé wine has come back into favour due to its balance which makes it sweet on the palate and pleasantly fresh.

The white wines, alongside their aromatic characteristics, also evoke the sensation of thickets, balance, freshness and volume on the palate.

LINK

By limiting weather extremes, the milder mesoclimate softens the ripening of the grapes and helps to define the subtle aroma profile and bring out the sensation of thicket shrubs.

Calcium plays a key role in terms of the quality of the grape skins and the formation of polyphenols and flavourings. The soil composition helps to create a balance between elements and gives the wines certain properties, e.g. the relatively high soil pH produces a freshness thanks to the delicacy and high quality of their tannins. The phenol content produces key structural characteristics. However, the excellent ripening of the skin tannins combined with the outstanding maturity of the seeds allows the wines to produce not only a pleasant sensation on the palate but also a fresh feel.

The delicacy and subtle complexity of each wine combined with the balance between tannins and acids, as the main characteristics of sweet, structured wines, are stimulated by harmonious ripening in calcareous soil which promotes the formation of the skin of the grapes found in ‘El Vicario’ vineyards.

Although the demarcated area is surrounded by areas covered by the La Mancha PDO, its characteristics differ appreciably from those of its neighbouring areas. The following factors produce this difference:

The area was demarcated due to the local conditions (limestone soil with high calcium content, impact of river) and the fact that there is only one cellar in the demarcated area – belonging to the applicant – in which the wine is made.

The demarcated area covers 1 252 hectares and belongs to various landowners. However, at the time the application was submitted, all existing vines and the only existing cellar in the area belonged to the applicant.

If, in future, other producers set up in the demarcated area, they may also use the registered name provided that the conditions laid down in the specifications are complied with. This could well happen given that the demarcated area spans 1 252 hectares. Further cellars could well be set up.

9.   

Essential further conditions

—

Reference to publication of the specification

http://pagina.jccm.es/agricul/paginas/comercial-industrial/consejos_new/pliegos/PLIEGO_PAGO_DEL_VICARIO_20180718.pdf

(

*1

)

  The maximum total alcoholic strength is as laid down in EU legislation.

(

*2

)

  The maximum total alcoholic strength is as laid down in EU legislation.

(

*3

)

  The maximum total alcoholic strength is as laid down in EU legislation.

(

*4

)

  The maximum total alcoholic strength is as laid down in EU legislation.

(

*5

)

  The sugar content expressed as the sum of glucose and fructose is greater than or equal to 45 grams per litre.