2021 Martínez Lacuesta Rioja

100% estate grown and hand harvested Tempranillo from 30 year old vines in Rioja Alta vineyards near Haro. Aged for six months in new American oak barrels and decanted twice using the traditional barrel-to-barrel method in candlelight before bottling. 14.0% alcohol. 

Tasting Notes

This is classic Rioja at a great price. Medium to medium-full bodied, with tons of bright cherry and raspberry fruit intermingling with vanilla, spice and dill oak notes and Rioja’s classic savory tobacco, leather and pepper. Very smooth on the palate, with fresh but not overwhelming acidity.

About Martínez Lacuesta

Martinez Lacuesta are one of the oldest registered brands in Rioja, pre-dating the creation of the Rioja designation itself. Located in Haro, La Rioja Alta, the vineyards of Bodega Martínez Lacuesta are scattered across the right banks of the Ebro river,  an area with a Mediterranean-Atlantic climate at 400-500 metres above sea level. They are planted with the red varieties Tempranillo, Grenache, Graciano and Mazuela (the local name of Carignan). The white varieties are Viura and Verdejo. The vinification space is divided into two areas. The first includes state-of-the-art stainless steel tanks, in which the grapes are fermented and macerated under strict temperature control. More traditional in character, the second area contains American and French oak vats, as well as two steel diposits.  The barrel room is quite spectacular. It includes 8,000 oak barrels, 90% American oak and 10% French oak, where wines are aged for variable periods of time. The barrels are stacked in five levels, which allows the wines to be transferred by gravity. That favors natural oxigenation, a fact which results in more expressive and rounder wines

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