Abeica Carronillo 2022

Bodegas Abeica has bottled wine since 1981 and farmed its vineyards across five generations in the Rioja Alta. Carronillo is the house take on classic Rioja, made by the young winemaker Ricardo Fernández, built around Tempranillo with a little Garnacha and Viura. The fruit comes from high-altitude San Vicente de la Sonsierra, where cool nights preserve acidity and give the wine its structure and freshness. Carronillo is aged twelve months in oak barrels, the traditional élevage that shapes the Rioja style. During barrel ageing, slow oxygen exchange through the wood softens the tannins and draws vanilla, clove and sweet spice from the oak, while the wine develops the leather and tobacco savouriness that comes with time in barrel. The wine is medium-bodied and deep ruby. The nose shows red cherry and ripe red berry, vanilla and sweet spice, leading into a leathery, lightly tobacco-edged complexity. The palate is balanced and savoury at 14.5 percent, with fine oak tannin and bright acidity through a long finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees. It is a natural match for roast lamb and grilled red meat.