Arzuaga Reserva 2018

Arzuaga Reserva, Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2018

Grapes: 95% Tempranillo, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Merlot, hand-picked fruit from over 80 year old vines in Burgos combined with young vine fruit grown in Valladolid. Fermentation and 26 months' ageing in new French oak barrels.

The majority of the grapes come from the oldest vines on our La Planta estate. This reserva wine is the result of traditional, sustainable vine-growing. The chalky clay soils with limestone bedrock less than a metre below the surface at an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft) give our wines their unique character.

Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro, established by Florentino Arzuaga in the early 1990s, is based in the town of Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid, in Castilla y Leon, north-western Spain and is a neighbour to the famous Vega Sicilia vineyards.

Producer Tasting Note:

Colour: Ruby red with purple hues.

Aroma: Ripe red fruits with aromatic complexity. These primary aromas intertwine in a very elegant way with tertiary aromas such as roasted notes and spices from barrel ageing.

Palate: Unctuous, velvety and tasty. With an elegance and great persistence.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Dark garnet with a purple hue. High ripeness with wild berries, kirsch, new oak and vanilla notes. The palate is dense and ample, a bit more restrained in terms of ripeness than the nose suggests, balanced freshness, sweet dark fruit flavours and a spicy long finish."

93/100 points, Andreas Larsson, TASTED.WINE

"An energetic wine with a charming nose of spice, black fruits and black pepper. On the palate, it is ripe and concentrated, with Cabernet-led leafy blackcurrant flavours, underpinned by fresh acidity and supported by mineral, fine-grained, very elegant tannins. Classy and characterful with a really long, immensely impressive, finish."

97/100 points (Platinum), Decanter World Wine Awards, 2022

Food Pairing: Ideal with blue fish and soft cheeses. Red meats, white meats, big game, and feathered game, roasted or in a sauce.