Felix Azpilicueta Reserva 2018

Azpilicueta is a long-established Rioja house, and this Reserva is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with Graciano and Mazuelo from La Rioja in northern Spain. The region's continental climate, tempered by Atlantic and Mediterranean influences, gives a long, even ripening that balances fruit with acidity, while the clay and limestone soils suit Tempranillo's structure. Tempranillo leads with red fruit and body, Graciano adds acidity, colour and aromatic lift, and Mazuelo brings tannin and freshness. The wine is aged sixteen months in a mix of French and American oak barrels, the American oak adding sweeter coconut and vanilla tones and the French a tighter spice, while slow oxygen exchange and malolactic conversion round the tannins. It then spends a further twenty months in bottle, the long ageing developing the leather, tobacco and dried-herb character typical of a mature Rioja Reserva. The colour is ruby with a garnet rim. The nose shows red berries, cherry, vanilla, leather and savoury herbs. The palate is medium bodied, smooth and balanced, with fine tannins and a long finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees with roast lamb.