2007 Finca Nueva Reserva Tempranillo Rioja Spain
Miguel De Gregorio comes from a family steeped in grape growing and winemaking. He was responsible for one of Rioja’s first ‘modern’ wines, Loriñón, at Bodegas Bretón. Here he discovered the grapes and vines of the village of Briones in Rioja Alta and when he decided to start his own winery he chose Briones as his home base.
The jewel in the Finca Nueva crown, the Reserva is produced entirely from Tempranillo fruit, with the wine matured for 24 months in French barriques, bottled unfiltered and bottle aged prior to release. It is an approachable, easy-drinking red, fruity in nature and dominated by soft cherry and plum characters touched with vanilla and liquorice nuances. It signs off with a lingering, velvet-lined finish.
It is hard to believe this wine is 8 years old. The colour is so bright and youthful. I can see why the winemaker views this wine as his plaything. It is engaging, approachable and shows what a great winemaker can do with a great vineyard. The humming bird printed on their labels signifies freedom, a vision that surrounds this winemaker as he strives to make wines from different vineyards and terroirs in Rioja and the freedom from the constraints of Rioja law makers
This wine shows me why Spain is my favourite country right now. The wines are so good, so approachable and so unique. This wine could only be Tempranillo and only Rioja – Cherries, tobacco, elegance over raw power with a great energy and lingering sweetness.