Viña Albina Reserva 2020

Viña Albina Reserva is a classically styled Rioja from Bodegas Riojanas, a long established winery in Cenicero in the heart of Rioja Alta. It is a traditional blend led by Tempranillo at eighty per cent with fifteen per cent Mazuelo and five per cent Graciano, drawn from vineyards in Cenicero, Sonsierra and Villalba de Rioja. The cool, higher altitude of Rioja Alta gives a long, even ripening season that preserves acidity and aromatic finesse, while Mazuelo adds colour and grip and Graciano brings freshness and lift. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and macerated on the skins in the traditional way to extract colour and structure. The wine then ages thirty months in American oak barrels, an unusually long Reserva ageing that, with American oak's sweeter spice, layers in vanilla and coconut and develops the savoury, leathery and tobacco complexity of mature Rioja as the slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins. The wine is bright in colour, with a nose of vibrant red fruit, liquorice and an earthy, balsamic edge over vanilla and leather. The palate is refined and balanced, true to the most classic Rioja style, with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees with roast lamb and grilled meats.