Bodegas Ondarre – Rioja Gran Reserva – 2018

PRODUCER NOTE:
Bodegas Ondarre was founded in 1985, with the aim of creating wines which showcase the region’s distinct terroirs. Situated in the town of Viana overlooking the Rioja Valley in Rioja Oriental, Bodegas Ondarre is the only winery in the village of Viana. They have formed trusted relationships with the highest quality growers in the area, with whom they have been working since their inception. The Reservas are Bodegas Ondarre’s most acclaimed wines, which win top awards and critical approval every year. They attribute their success to hard work in the vineyards and their continual investment in the winery and barrel stock. They use both French and American oak casks to help them obtain the character in their wines. They also produce a few thousand cases of a single varietal Graciano – a real rarity due to the low yielding nature of this variety.

VINTAGE:
The Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja has awarded an official rating of ‘Very Good’ for the 2018 vintage. Good progress throughout the growing cycle and the unusually dry and sunny harvest time produced excellent results both in terms of quality and quantity. The 2018 vintage shows beautiful aromatics, great balance between acidity and alcohol and excellent phenolic ripeness, which imbues the wines with great depth and persistence.

VINEYARD:
The carefully selected grapes for this wine come from old vineyards surrounding the village of Viana, which overlooks the Rioja Valley, in what is now known as Rioja Oriental. The climate is continental with a noticeable Mediterranean influence. The 40- year old, low yielding vines are situated on the slopes which climb up towards the Sierra Mountains at elevations of 600 to 750 metres, where the diversity of the soils contribute to the complexity in the wine. To the north of the village, the soils are very shallow – approximately 40 centimetres deep- on a bedrock of sedimentary rock, with soil comprising sand, clay and limestone. The terrain is quite uneven here, due to several streams that run down from the mountains and create a special microclimate. The streams ensure good drainage which encourages the Gobelet trained vines to struggle a little to produce concentrated wines.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes were fermented with inoculated yeast at temperatures of between 25 to 28°C, with daily pumping over and délestage (rack and return) taking place to extract colour, flavour and tannins. The wine went through malolactic conversion in new oak casks, originating from Missouri and Central France. Ageing took place on the lees, lasting for 28 months with regular racking. In order to retain maximum concentration, the wine was fined naturally, with a series of successive rackings. Once bottled, the wine received bottle ageing for 32 months. As the wine was bottled without tartaric stabilisation, it may leave a deposit in the bottle, so decanting is recommended.

TASTING NOTE:
The complex and mature bouquet offers rich fruit aromas, along with hints of spice and notes of raisined fruit layered with tobacco and leather. Elegant and velvety, this is classic Gran Reserva Rioja.

GRAPE:
Tempranillo 90%, Mazuelo 10%.

COUNTRY:
Spain

REGION:
Rioja

SUB-REGION:
Rioja