La Rioja Alta, Finca San Martin, `Torre de Ona` Crianza, Rioja, Spain, 2017 

100% Tempranillo from the Torre de Ona vineyard in the Rioja Alavesa, aged in 40% second use French and 60% new American oak for 16 months.

Medium depth, cherry-red with a ruby rim. The nose stands out for its strong expression of red fruit - raspberries, cranberries, red plums and mint underscored with notes of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, licorice and white pepper. Impressively fresh entry. Balanced, with good acidity, soft tannins and marked notes of red fruit. Good fruit expression and balsamic notes from the oak ensure a long, pleasant finish. 

Grupo La Rioja Alta established the vineyard in 1995 as a project to produce wines specifically from the Rioja Alavesa, highlighting its stylistic differences from the Rioja Alta zone.

Since 2005 the vineyard has been sub-divided into smaller plots, chosen to suit the three different wines produced here, and the grapes are fermented separately (plot by plot).

Great with sausages, snacks, starters and meat.  

Rated 90/100 Points by Tim Atkin MW