£42.00
As a bare minimum a ‘Gran Reserva’ Rioja must have aged for a total of five years with at least two years in oak barrels and two years in bottles. This is now at this point in it’s life a perfect Rioja. Do not let the price stop you experience this, it is simply perfect.
Technical Details
Blend: Tempranillo 95% | Graciano 5%
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Colour: Red
Style: Still
Suitable for Vegetarians: No
Suitable for Vegans: No
Organic: Yes
Biodynamic: No
Out of stock
In 1970 Luis Cañas changed two hundred years of tradition and became the first winemaker in Rioja Alavesa to bottle his young wine rather than sell it as bulk.
This bold move, and his continued pioneering spirit, has cemented the winery’s enviable reputation as one of the most progressive in the region. Sheltered below the watchful Sierra Cantabria, the vineyards are all old, small plots on chalky-clay soils with a dedicated team of vineyard workers carrying out organic practices and a purpose built, fully equipped accommodation block was built for the entire vineyard team in 2006.
With 350 hectares of outstanding vineyards, split across 870 different plots, the viticultural department control every aspect. Each of the plots has its own personality and is categorised and used for different wines according to its characteristics. The grapes which are destined for Gran Reserva are from a selection of old vines of an average of 50 years old.
Upon entering the bodega, the bunches are selected by Luis Cañas himself before being destemmed so the individual berries can be sorted based on their weight. They later undergo fermentation and maceration in stainless steel tanks for 8 days obtaining better colour extraction as well as much more complex and tannic wines, suitable for prolonged aging. The result is a wine that portrays the essence of a classic Rioja. After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a total of 24 months in French and American oak barrels. It is then bottled and aged for a total of 36 months
Time: 24 Months
Type: 70% New French Oak, 30% New American oak
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 100
Ruby red with earthy colour notes. Elegant and complex in the nose with a good concentration of black fruit, thyme and rosemary with secondary aromas of leather and tobacco leaves. It is polished and rounded, making it pleasant and easy to drink. Fleshy with both elegance and power. It has touches of black fruit jam and liquorice warm, with a long, delicious and persistent finish.
Enjoy with the classic Riojan dish of lamb chops, chorizo and potato stew, or any meat dish.
