Vinas de gain 2020 (Artadi)

Drink now or cellar for up to 7 years. No need to decant before serving. This classic red Rioja is made with Tempranillo grapes carefully selected from Artadi’s twenty to thirty year old vines planted in Laguardia, Elvillar and Leza in the highly-regarded Rioja Alavesa sub-region. Here the 450 to 700 metres of altitude ensure cool nights even during summer which helps to create elegant, finely-balanced wines which rank amongst Spain’s finest. The Artadi estate hand-harvests all the grapes for their Vinas de Gain wine before leaving the grape must to macerate and ferment with the skins in open wooden tanks. The wine is then transferred to French oak barrels where it rests for 12 months before bottling and release to the market. Ripe red plums, cherries and crushed blackberries characterise the nose, while the first sip reveals a medium body, vibrant acidity and luscious wild berry, toasted oak and dried Mediterranean herb flavours. Thanks to its easy-going nature and agreeable balance between freshness and alcohol, this bottle is equally at home being sipped on its own after a long day at work or served alongside a show-stopping dish of grilled tuna steak, magret de pato, pork chops or even rabbit.