2018 Valenciso Rioja Reserva
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Region: Rioja, Spain
Viticulture: Sustainable
Winemaker: Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso
Established Date: 1998
Only the best Tempranillo grapes are used, from mature, low yielding vineyards in the Rioja Alta. Today, their key wine, a superb Rioja Reserva from mature vines of Tempranillo (averaging around 30-years-old and grown in the Rioja Alta), is widely considered to be one of the region’s benchmark reds. The Reserva is naturally fermented in cement vats and aged for 19 months in mostly low-toast French oak barriques, roughly one-third new . Following aging in barrel, the wine was transferred back to concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find their wine clarifies so well in concrete, there is no need to fine or filter before bottling.
Sommelier’s Recommendation
A great example of a mouthwatering rioja. It’s got that dusty, toasted oak on the noise with amazingly bright, fresh fruit on the palate. Think plums, blackberrys, cherrys. A seriously well made wine that would compliment any red meat dish.
From humble beginnings, Valenciso have become a leading light amongst Rioja’s small, yet growing, band of micro, terroir-focused producers. The operation began in 1998 when Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso rented a small warehouse with barely enough space to produce their first vintage of 2,000 cases. The vineyards and cellar are located in Rioja Alta in Ollauri, Spain, a small village 4-km away from Haro. Valenciso is all about aromatic volume rather than physical weight – in the manner of French Burgundy and the greatest Riojas of the past.
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