Artadi Quintanilla 2023

Quintanilla is one of Artadi's single vineyard Tempranillo bottlings, made by Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle and his team in the Rioja Alavesa, now labelled outside D.O.Ca. Rioja since the estate broke from the appellation in 2015. The estate, founded in 1985 by a group of local growers, sets out to make wines that reflect their specific terroir rather than a fixed ageing category. The Quintanilla parcel lies on the limestone and clay foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria, where altitude and a continental climate with marked day to night temperature swings give slow, even ripening, fresh acidity and fine tannin. Farming is organic. The wine ages 12 months in 225 litre French oak barrels, enough to soften the tannins through slow oxygen exchange and add spice without burying the fruit. The 2023 is deep ruby in the glass, refined and precise, with a nose of red berries, cherry and plum lifted by tobacco and a touch of oak spice. The palate is balanced and serene, with ripe tannin, good acidity and an earthy, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead. It is at home with roast meats and mushroom dishes.