Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red, clean and bright, with an elegant pink rim. The first impression to the nose is intense, with enveloping aromas of ripe fruit, wild strawberries, redcurrants and red cherries wrapped in fine notes of patisserie, shortbread, vanilla, liquorice and peppercorns. Well-balanced in the mouth, with a pleasant freshness, and sweet, silky tannins that lead to an enveloping finish. A new vintage to enjoy now, but with a long, exciting life ahead.
The structure and elegance of the Finca Martelo 2015 makes it a perfect food companion. Long in the mouth, it is perfect with braised and roasted meats, as well as game and cured sausages.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I found a very complete 2015 Finca Martelo that followed the style and the quality path of the previous vintages. The release of this wine was an important milestone for Torre de Oña, where they look for the typicity of Rioja Alavesa through a blend of old-vine Tempranillo with 6% other varieties (Mazuelo, Garnacha and even white Viura). 2015 was a healthy harvest, and the wine shows a nice combination of power and elegance. It's clean and modern but with a traditional twist, some developed aromas and very fine chalky tannins from the limestone-rich soils.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
Supple, polished and harmonious, this red shows cherry, tea, vanilla, leafy and spicy notes, with modest and balanced tannins and acidity. A bit reserved, but has focus and length. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Viura. Drink now through 2027.
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.