Jose Luis Ripa, Rioja Vino Rosado, 2018, 750 ml
Who says rose can't age? Jose Luis Ripa knows Rioja like no one else (he's married to Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia) and decided in 2016 to make a classic Spanish Aged Rosado. Rich, nutty, textured, devine. Drink with roast pork. Read more
COUNTRY: Italy
REGION: Rioja
VARIETY: 85% Garnacha, 15% Tempranillo
VINTAGE: 2018
FARMING: Organic
TERROIR: Two 30+ year old vines, bush-pruned, and located in Rioja Alta, where the soils are of calcareous clay type and have a slightly higher iron percentage than the rest of the district.
WINEMAKING: After destemming the grapes they are placed in stainless steel vats and bled (saignée) for about 24 hours and racked. The wine then ferments in 500 liter French oak used casks and ages for 18 months before it gets bottled.
WINEMAKERS NOTES: "My idea was to make a rosé with subtlety and sophistication in the nose and a firm structure and length in the mouth, more vinous than fruity", he says. In other words, José Luis decided to make an elegant wine that has plenty of freshness and verve, and yet enough body to withstand the time in oak, and the slight oxidation. In the palate it is medium-bodied, with berry notes, a great example of a rosé that doesn't need to be bound to a season to be enjoyed, and is incredibly refined. Less than 350 cases were made.
ABV: 13.5%