Viña Eguía Reserva 2020

Viña Eguía Reserva comes from Bodegas Eguía in El Ciego, in Rioja Alavesa, a district with a long winemaking history. The grape is Tempranillo, grown on terraces and slopes of brownish yellow clay and limestone soils. The Sierra de Cantabria runs along the north of the zone and shelters the vineyards from cold northern winds, giving a milder, partly Mediterranean climate alongside the continental Atlantic influence, while cool nights preserve acidity. As a Reserva the wine spends twenty four months in French and American oak barrels, a long ageing that softens the tannins through steady oxygen exchange, stabilises the colour and layers in vanilla, clove and herbal complexity, with the French oak adding finer spice and the American adding sweetness. The wine is vegan and unfined with animal products. The colour is mature cherry red with a garnet rim. The nose shows ripe cherry and plum with vanilla, gentle spice and herbal and tobacco hints. The palate is medium to full bodied, with soft, integrated tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury finish typical of well aged Rioja. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees. It pairs well with roast lamb and aged cheese.