Marqués de Vargas Rioja Reserva 2018
Marqués de Vargas Rioja Reserva has a ruby red colour and vibrant character. Ripe red fruit aromas open the nose, featuring cherries, raspberries and a touch of sweet spiciness. Complex, dry and full-bodied palate with elegant tannins, juicy acidity and great structure. Thick and creamy mouthfeel with a good presence of red fruit flavours, chocolate and balsamic notes.
Blend comprising of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Garnacha. The fruit comes from Marqués de Vargas' 50 hectare vineyard "Pradolagar” in Rioja. The vines have an average age of 35 years and grow in poor, shallow, infertile calcareous clay soils with free drainage to promote moderate vegetative vigour. Marqués de Vargas practices sustainable wine-growing, without the use of herbicides or pesticides in their vineyards.
Hand harvesting and destemming. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 11–13 days at controlled temperatures between 29–30°C. Daily remontage and pumping over and long maceration for a period of 12 days after fermentation to ensure a voluptuous texture. The wine ages for 20 months in American, French and Russian oak Barrels from different coopers: Seguin Moreau, Demptos and Maury, with a maximum use of 5 years. Regular racking every 5 months at the beginning, then every 6 months. Bottling without fining or filtering for an unprocessed and fully natural wine.
Top tip: Decant for an hour before serving