Diez-Caballero Crianza 2021

Diez-Caballero Crianza comes from a small family winery in Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa, run today by Antonio and Victoria Diez-Caballero. The bodega worked in bulk wine until 1979, when the family chose to bottle under their own name, and now farms twenty-five hectares of Tempranillo across several plots. Tempranillo here gives a fresher, more aromatic style than in warmer corners of Rioja, helped by the limestone influenced soil and cooler aspect of the Alavesa zone. The wine is aged for twelve months in a mix of French and American oak, the minimum for a Crianza, before bottle ageing. French oak brings finer grained tannin and subtle spice, while American oak adds vanilla and a sweeter, more open aroma, and the slow oxygen exchange in barrel rounds the texture without masking the fruit. The colour is bright, clear cherry. The nose is notably expressive, with red berries alongside an unusual lift of melon, pear and white flowers, framed by vanilla and dried herbs. The palate is medium bodied, fresh and supple, with the oak in support rather than the lead. Serve at 16 degrees. It pairs well with lamb, pork and roast poultry.