Rioja Reserva

Pair it with wild red meats.

Founded for the 1998 vintage by Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso, (Valen-ciso), Rioja natives with extensive experience in the making, tasting and commercialization of Rioja wines. Minority partners include former managers of Radoux, makers of the finest French oak barriques, and growers in the best areas of the Rioja Alta. A new winemaking facility under construction in the traditional Rioja village of Ollauri will be completed in time for the 2004 harvest. Valenciso's objective is to produce a single wine of the highest quality and authenticity, released as Reserva. Only the best Tempranillo grapes are used, from mature, low-yielding vineyards. Of the available fruit from the grower-partners, only a small percentage is selected. Careful harvesting is timed to capture the intensity of the fruit, while avoiding overripeness or excessive alcohol levels. Aromatic volume rather than physical weight-in the manner of French Burgundy and the greatest Riojas of the past-is the Valenciso ideal.

Valenciso Reserva is 100% made from Tempranillo, from 20ha of vineyards in La Rioja Alta. The vineyards are grown using sustainable agriculture, which is respectful of the environment and seeks to have minimal impact on the landscape. Moreover, the vineyards have a low yield of 5000 kg/ha and are planted on clay-limestone soils The development of Vavlenciso Reserva follows traditional methods. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation takes place in cement tanks. After the fermentation process, the wine is aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels which are less than three years old.

It was made in a cement tank where it underwent fermentation and aged for 17 months in 90% French oak and 10% Caucasian oak barrels, with light and medium toasting.