Tentenublo Tinto 2023

Tentenublo Tinto is a Rioja red from Tentenublo Wines, the project of Roberto Oliván in Viñaspre, within Lanciego in Rioja Alavesa. Oliván belongs to a new generation of Rioja winemakers who returned to traditional methods but aimed for greater freshness and a lighter touch with wood. The wine is Tempranillo led, drawn from old village plots on the limestone and clay soils of the Alavesa, where the meeting of Atlantic and Mediterranean influences gives cool nights and a long growing season. Those conditions hold acidity and aromatic detail in the fruit. Fermentation keeps the focus on the vineyard rather than the cellar, and the wine ages eleven months in French oak, where gentle oxygen exchange softens the tannins without imposing heavy toast or vanilla. The colour is bright medium ruby. The nose leads with red cherry and raspberry over fresh earth, dried herbs and a trace of black pepper. The palate is medium bodied and fresh, with fine, slightly grippy tannins and a savoury, mineral finish. The fruit is farmed by respectful agriculture. Serve at 16 degrees with roast lamb, pork or a mushroom dish.