Valenciso Reserva Selección Especial Magnum 2019

Valenciso Reserva Selección Especial is made in Ollauri, in the north of Rioja Alta. The wine is 100% Tempranillo from 20 hectares of estate vineyards farmed sustainably, with a low yield of around 5,000 kilos per hectare that concentrates the fruit. The vines grow on clay-limestone soils, which hold water through the dry summer and give the wine its freshness and fine structure, while the cool Rioja Alta climate preserves acidity and aromatics. The wine ages sixteen months in French oak, which lends a finer, more savoury spice than American oak, with slow oxygen exchange knitting the tannins and malolactic fermentation rounding the acidity. This bottling is a magnum, a format that ages more slowly thanks to the lower ratio of air to wine. It is bright, lively red. The nose shows cherry, raspberry, plum and blackberry with vanilla, clove, tobacco and a touch of leather. The palate is medium to full bodied, fresh and structured, with fine tannin, bright acidity and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant ahead. It suits roast lamb and game.