Victoria Diez-Caballero Reserva 2015

Victoria Diez-Caballero Reserva is made by the Diez-Caballero family in Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa, a small estate that turned from bulk wine to bottling its own in 1979 and now farms around twenty-five hectares across several plots. This is a varietal Tempranillo grown on the limestone and clay soils typical of the Alavesa, which sit at altitude on cooler, north-facing slopes that hold acidity and lend finesse to the fruit. As a Reserva, the wine meets Rioja's extended ageing rules, here twelve months in French oak followed by a long period in bottle before release. French barrels give finer, more savoury spice than American oak, while slow oxygen exchange through the wood and the years in bottle soften tannin and develop the leather, tobacco and dried-fruit notes of a classic mature Rioja. The colour is ruby with a developing garnet rim. The nose shows red cherry, plum, leather, vanilla and a touch of tobacco. The palate is medium bodied and savoury, with fine, settled tannin and a long, gently spiced finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, with a short decant. It is a fine match for roast lamb.