Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red with black cherry glints and a deep hue. High fruit intensity on the nose, with a perfect balance of dark fruit and oak on the palate. The spicy nuances play a key role, with black pepper, cloves and cumin. Fresh wood aromas with notes of cocoa, dry tobacco leaves and mint and a smooth, fruity mouth-feel with a long finish. Pleasant, polished tannins and refreshing acidity.
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.