Urbina Reserva Especial Rioja 2006

Urbina Reserva Especial, Rioja, Spain, 2006   

Grapes: 95% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo and Graciano. Aged 18 months in American oak casks (12 months in new oak and 6 in 7 year old oak) and a minimum of 12 months in bottle before release.

Urbina is located in the town of Cuzcarrita del Rio Tiron in the Rioja Alta and the winemaking team is headed by Pedro Benito Urbina. A four generation family producer, Urbina has 75ha of vineyards mostly planted to Tempranillo. Bottling and ageing their own wines since 1975 the bodega has invested heavily in new equipment and now makes their wine with a more organic approach.

Dark ruby red with amber glints, very pronounced, seductive figs, apricots, nuts, savoury vanilla oak bouquet. Voluptuous, sweet middle palate with delicious, concentrated ripe berry, mature fruit broadening out. Wonderful length, classy and complex wine.

"If you love mature, traditionally made Rioja, this will put a smile on your face and a song on your lips. Made from Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo and Graciano, it has the freshness and elegance you'd expect from the cooler Cuzcurrita zone, spicy French and American oak, fine grained tannins and palate-caressing wild strawberry sweetness"

96/100 points, Tim Atkin MW, Rioja Special Report 2021

"Quite tertiary: leather, balsamic, moss, spices and wood. On the palate, it is fully polymerised, fluid, with the tannins developed and well integrated. It maintains a thread of acidity. Pure Riojan classicism and with the characteristic notes of tobacco. In fact, it reminds me of a box of cigars and nutmeg. Do they seriously produce 66,000 bottles of this quality? This winery can be put on the list of great Rioja classic wineries."

17/20 points, Ferran Centells, JancisRobinson.com March 2021

Drink with cured, smoked meats.