Los Yelsones 2025

Los Yelsones is made by Eduardo Eguren under the Cuentaviñas label in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, a village in Rioja Alta now central to a new wave of terroir focused growers. The Tempranillo grows on the poor clay and limestone soils typical of the higher, cooler western Rioja, where altitude and a wide diurnal range slow ripening and preserve acidity and aromatic detail. The estate farms biodynamically and organically, working the vineyard as a single living system. The wine spends eighteen months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves polymerises the tannins into a finer texture and the wood adds a measured layer of vanilla and spice without masking the fruit. The colour is a deep ruby. The nose carries ripe cherry and black plum, with vanilla, leather and a forest floor earthiness. The palate is medium to full bodied, with firm but ripe tannin, fresh acidity and a long savoury finish marked by black pepper and dried herbs. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees, decanted for an hour, alongside roast lamb, grilled beef or aged Manchego.