Winemaker Notes
Bright ruby intense color. High aromatic intensity with hints of well assembled red fruit layers. Mineral and spicy character. Expressive and tasty in the mouth with persistent, long and balanced finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This rich red marries power and grace, with ripe plum and blackberry fruit, while toast, loamy earth and mineral notes add depth. Well-integrated tannins support the thick texture, while firm acidity keeps it fresh. Harmonious and deep.
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James Suckling
A firm, silky red with blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Some black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with racy tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink or hold.
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.