Rioja Vega Reserva 2019

Rioja Vega Reserva comes from a long established winery in Viana, in the warmer Rioja Baja. It is a traditional Rioja blend, led by Tempranillo at eighty five per cent with ten per cent Graciano and five per cent Mazuelo, grown on seventy hectares of clay and chalk soils. Those soils drain well yet hold water through the dry summer, feeding the vines steadily and giving balanced ripeness, while Graciano contributes acidity and aromatic lift and Mazuelo adds colour and grip. After fermentation at 28 degrees over ten days, the wine macerates further on the skins to draw out colour, tannin and structure. It then ages twenty four months in French and American oak barrels, the long Reserva ageing softening the tannins through slow oxygen exchange and layering in vanilla, sweet spice and a savoury, leathery complexity as the fruit settles. The wine is deep cherry red, with a nose of red and forest fruit over blackberry, leather, tobacco, dried herbs and oak spice. The palate is medium to full, smooth and balanced, with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish in the classic Rioja mould. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting briefly, alongside roast lamb, grilled meats and cured meats.