Winemaker Notes
Bright, medium-depth, ruby-red with a pink rim. Very intense aromas, with dominating notes of red berries —raspberries and red currants— against a backdrop of anise, caramel, vanilla, cocoa and balsamic spices. Flavorsome mouthfeel, good structure, pleasant acidity and fine tannins leading to a fresh, agreeable finish. A wine with a pleasant aftertaste of sweet licorice.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A red with layers of dried fruits, orange peel and other citrus fruit. Some mineral too. Full to medium body, firm tannins and a juicy finish. Pretty current drinking wine!
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Wine Spectator
This red is focused and polished, delivering harmonious flavors of black cherry, olive, smoke and mineral. The tannins are well-integrated, the acidity fresh. A bit reserved, but has depth. Drink now through 2022. Top Value Pick
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.