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Villota Tinto DO Rioja 2021
$44.95
Vino Villota
- Country: Spain
- Region: Rioja D.O.
- Varietal: 85% Tempranillo, 13% Graciano, 2% Garnacha
- Alc/vol: 14.5%
- Sweetness: Dry
- Cellaring Potential: Drink now, or hold until 2032
Bright ruby in colour, with inital aromas of ripe red fruits such as cherries, cranberries and plums. As the nose opens up, beautiful notes menthol, forest floor and fresh leather come out. Even though the leathery aromas indicate a substantial amount of oak aging, this wine is still intensely fresh and wood notes well integrated. The palate is juicy with structured tannins, showcasing notes of red fruits, liquorice and the rosemary shrubs that grow naturally around these vineyards. Chocolate and caramel flavours linger on a long and delicious finish.
Pair this with barbequed meats or smoky dishes.
In stock
Villota Tinto is a bright, aromatic and fresh red blend that defines the personality of the entire Villota estate. Hand harvested from old tempranillo and graciano vines ranging from 45-90 years old, all trained in bush formation with minimal human intervention, this is a wine that is made in the vineyard. Both varietals are fermented separately and the percentage of each used in the blend is decided later. After 16 months of aging in fine-grained French oak barrels, the wine rests in concrete tanks for another few months before bottling. With great balance between fruit tannins and wood tannins, Villota Tinto is unlike the traditional Rioja reds overwhelmed with oak flavours. This wine is a refreshing version of Rioja that tells a story of exactly where it’s coming from.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
93 points Tim Atkin, MW
94 points Jeb Dunnuck
“There’s something special about this warm terroir by the Ebro river, located right next to CVNE’s Contino estate. This is a typically well-judged blend of Tempranillo, 13% Graciano and 2% Garnacha, with ageing in one-third new French oak. Concentrated yet refreshing, it has flavours of blueberry and tangerine, completed by firmish tannins and a refreshing finish. [Drink] 2024-2032.” Tim Atkin, MW
Since the 1930s, the San Rafael estate has been cultivated by the Pérez Villota family in the Alavesa region of La Rioja. The family are heirs to a saga of growers and viticulturalists who have historically been grape suppliers for decades. Their previous winery, Contino, was co-created in partnership with a larger winery collective called CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) back in 1973. For 50 years, the Pérez Villota family supplied grapes to CVNE until 2013 when they decided to separate and create their own family-named winery Villota. At this time, there was a strong movement that took hold of growers in the Rioja region to bottle their vineyards and heritage under their own names rather than continue selling to co-operatives. Villota is a part of this movement. Today, Vinos Villota is under the management of their fourth generation winemaker, Carmen Pérez Garrigues, who tells their vineyard history through their superlative, limited production and terroir-driven wines. The Villota estate, just outside of Laguardia, is a special part of Rioja Alavesa that sits along the banks of the Ebro where the river takes a bend (see image below). Carmen chooses to produce Villota wines with the ethos of 85% terroir influence and only 15% of cellar influence. Meaning, she does not use the traditional classifications crianza, reserva or gran reserva on her labels because she believes that oak regimes should vary each year based on the harvest that occured. Villota wines are pure examples of how old vines left alone on the right plot of land can produce full, interesting, and ageworthy wines without much cellar influence. The vineyard land has a 100 meter grade difference from the top of the hill (pictured below as the green unplanted land), down to to the Ebro River meander. The buildings and rocky land at the top block the wind, sheltering the vineyards from cool air that comes from the north. The Ebro river provides extra humidity to the area, creating a warm “mediterranean influence” in the vineyards in the middle of a landlocked region of Spain. Scattered with olive trees, rosemary shrubs and one big oak at the bottom of the vineyard, these 97 hectares are truly a unique place making iconic wines. Over 90 years of history on this land have left behind a beautiful mosaic of native Riojan grape varieties
Read More About
9 Decades of Riojan Winemaking
Wines From a Remarkable Location
that only require minimal intervention to produce timeless and harmonious wines.
| Colour | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
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