Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Expressive and juicy, the red-fruited 2015 Botijo Rojo takes control of the palate and simply explodes with the goodness of raspberry flavors. The wine's perky finish pairs it well with a beef tongue burrito. (Tasted: January 17, 2018, San Francisco, CA USA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The current entry-level red (but I wouldn't be surprised if the range changed in the future), is the 2015 Botijo Rojo Garnacha where they want to avoid excessive ripeness and concentration that has been so common in the region in the last few years. The destemmed and crushed grapes from 25- to 35-year-old vines in the village of Épila, fermented with indigenous yeasts, finishing fermentation without skins (like a white) followed by malolactic and ten to 15 month aging in concrete tanks. This is a fleshy, slightly rustic Garnacha that represents the place where it comes from and does it in a very drinkable way, with some acid berries that provide freshness, licorice, character and poise.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.