Oscar Tobía Reserva 2018

Oscar Tobía Reserva is a red from D.O.Ca. Rioja, made by Bodega Tobía from estate vineyards in Rioja Alta. The blend is 90 per cent Tempranillo with 10 per cent Graciano, the latter adding acidity, colour and aromatic lift. The climate here is temperate continental with a cool Cantabrian influence, an average around 12 degrees and roughly 648 millimetres of rain a year, conditions that ripen Tempranillo steadily while preserving freshness. The fruit is carefully selected from the winery's own plots. After fermentation the wine is aged for twenty-two months in French and Hungarian oak barrels; the slower, tighter-grained French and Hungarian oak lends a more restrained spice and finer tannin than American oak, and the long ageing builds tertiary complexity. It is deep cherry red turning garnet at the rim. The nose shows ripe cherry and plum with vanilla, tobacco, leather and dried herbs over toasty oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied and balanced, with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury, oak-framed finish in the classic Rioja Reserva mould. Serve at 17 degrees. It is at home with roast lamb and grilled meats.