Winemaker Notes
Aromatically intense with mysterious, seductive and elegant notes. On the nose it shows hints of blackberry, black liquorice, touches of wild anise and sweet plum puree. Luxurious, mouth-watering and well armed with a touch of acidity which gives it freshness and subtly counters the sweetness of well ripened grapes.
Blend: 80% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano, 5% Mazuela
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A meaty and chewy red with notes of blackcurrants, walnuts, mint jelly and roasted meat. Full-bodied, with pleasantly chewy tannins that melt into savory and tasty layers of black fruit.
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Wine Spectator
An expressive red, with heavy milled pepper, ground anise, incense and cured tobacco notes on the nose, this is more subtle on the palate, where refined tannins are well-meshed with concentrated flavors of black plum reduction, orange peel and iron. The fresh finish is firmed by fine, chalky tannins. Drink now through 2029. 500 cases made, 250 cases imported.
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.