2021 Martelo Rioja Reserva

This shows good aging complexity with refined hazelnut chocolate, caramelized citrus, licorice, cloves and preserved plums. Firm and fine-grained, this has medium to full body and a long, structured finish. A blend of 95% tempranillo with mazuelo, garnacha and viura. The vineyard is over 60 years old. Drink from 2026.

From a special vineyard planted to 60+-year-old vines, the 2021 Finca Martelo is a field blend of 95% Tempranillo and the rest Graciano, Mazuelo, Garnacha, and Viura co-fermented together. Soft, earthy, and spicy in subtle black cherry and plum, it is medium-bodied and aged 24 months in French (20%) and American (80%) oak, made in a modern style for earlier approachability. It succeeds, reaching a lovely balance of elegant suppleness and length. Drink now through 2031.

The elegant and creamy 2021 Finca Martelo is mostly Tempranillo with around 5% other grapes, including Mazuelo, Garnacha and even white Viura, from three vineyards, Martelo, Camino de la Iglesia and Altos de Las Cuevas, the last two representing only 7% this year. For the first time, part of their Viñedos Artesanales wines were not bottled on their own. This wine will have more of these grapes from other vineyards in the future, and they are adding complexity to the wine. The grapes were cooled down to four degrees Celsius and put in the vats to macerate and warm up until fermentation starts. Malolactic was in American and French oak barrels and lasted two months, and the wine completed an élevage of two years, 80% in American oak barrels and 20% in French ones. It's ripe, gastronomical and elegant, with ripeness, 14.5% alcohol and the freshness of the year, with the signature and the tannins from 2021, sweet and silky and very elegant. It's very balanced and young and should develop nicely in bottle. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2024.