92pts Vinous

Savory and balanced, the 2017 Reserva is 100% Tempranillo sourced from 127 hectares of vineyards in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, aged for 24 months in American (75%) and French (25%) oak barrels. This dark garnet red wine offers ripe aromas, spanning from herbs to strawberry and candied cherry, complemented by notes of dried flowers and licorice. On the palate, it is dry and grippy, with a chalky texture contrasting a velvety flow to create a nuanced mouthfeel.

Winey Notes

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.