60-year-old Tempranillo and Graciano from the cooler, higher-altitude, calcium-clay soils of Labastida, in Rioja Alavesa. Finca de la Rica owns all the 39 ha of this village. A quarter of this was fermented in stainless, before all returning to French oak for 14 months. As grippy and strict as you'd expect from a youthful Rioja, though there's a lovely core of plum and cherry that counters the tight tannins surrounded by mulberry, warm baking spice, tobacco leaves, light smoke and leather before the tight, astringent, cocoa-crusted finish. This medium-bodied red is far too young to drink now without protein (think pork or lamb), but the freshness and authenticity is solid.
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