Winemaker Notes
Dark ruby color, medium layer with light mahogany trim. Complexity on the nose, splendid ripeness, mineral aromas, ripe fruits, figs, cherries and plums, tomato and dried apricot jam, cigar box, cherry blossom, harmonious and well-defined spicy touches of cinnamon, vanilla and clove tips. Some leather, blond tobacco, and nutmeg. Musk, Frankincense and Kola nut. Background of fresh and elegant toffee and balsamic candies. On the palate, harmonious and balanced oak is appreciated, fruity tannins, great elegance and velvety smoothness, and wonderful length.
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.