Azpilicueta Rosado 2023

Azpilicueta Rosado is a rosé from D.O.Ca. Rioja built on Tempranillo with a portion of the white grape Viura. The Viura plots lie in Rioja Alta, while the Tempranillo comes from Fuenmayor. Rioja's continental climate, with warm days and cool nights drawn down from the surrounding mountains, ripens the Tempranillo for generous red fruit while keeping the acidity fresh, and the Viura adds a citric, floral lift. In the cellar the berries are cold macerated for a few hours to extract colour and aroma, then the juice is run off by the saignée or bleeding method and racked clean before a cool fermentation in stainless steel that preserves the primary fruit, with no oak. The wine is a bright pink. The nose is fruit driven, with ripe strawberry, cherry and red plum lifted by citrus and white flowers. The palate is rounded and generous, the ripe red fruit carried by fresh acidity to a clean finish, the Viura adding freshness and aromatic lift. This is an approachable, gastronomic rosado. Serve at 8 to 10 degrees. It pairs well with grilled pork, roast poultry, rice dishes and richer fish.