Winemaker Notes
Clear and bright black-cherry in color. The nose is attractive with intense, warm aromas of red-berry fruit and subtle notes of black fruit, blossom and tertiary nuances. On the palate, it is delicate with a very round attack. A harmonious, complex wine with body and backbone, polished tannins and no sharp edges. Very well-balanced.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The single-vineyard red 2018 Finca Valdepoleo follows the line of the 2016, two cooler years. It's a fairly large plot that was planted in 1973 in the village of Laguardia on limestone and clay soils at 630 meters in altitude. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and also with some stems (something they don't normally do), and it matured in French oak barrels for one year. The finesse of this wine captured me, and I believe this is the finest vintage for this vineyard bottling. When I poured the whole range and had a quick look at all the wines, this one made me raise my eyebrows. It's elegant, subtle and pure, floral and aromatic, really expressive and captivating. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and nicely integrated oak. It's a modern version of the 2013. Truly outstanding.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
A red with plum, chocolate, vanilla and cedar character on both the nose and palate. Medium body. Juicy finish.
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Decanter
Intense dark fruits with minerality. Fragrant and mellow, with notes of warm fruit, fine acidity and an integrated, harmonious finish.
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.