Winemaker Notes
Cherry red color with a thin terracotta edge, reflecting longer barrel age. Complex aromas of dark fruits, toffee and balsamic as well as some mineral notes. Silky, refreshing, well balanced fruit and noticeable spicy oak characteristics. Elegant, persistent, satisfying finish.
Outstanding with red meats, especially roast lamb. Also pairs well with game, casseroles and fine cheeses.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.