Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva 2014
Rioja
As we head east from Portugal, we come to Spain. This mountainous country has, at its center, a large raised plateau, the Meseta. Most of the country sits at over 2,000 feet above sea level.
The country’s northern border sits partially on the Bay of Biscay and partially on the border with France in the Pyrenees Mountains. Along the Bay of Biscay, you find Txakolina wine regions and the fantastic city of San Sebastian, known for its Basque dishes.
Rioja
Rioja is a wine region in North Central Spain along the Ebro River. Wines here are Tempranillo based, with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo also allowed.
The Rioja DOC was the first in Spain and the first region to become a DOCG. This red wine becomes softer and more complex as it ages.
Rioja is made in several styles, from the youngest and freshest, called Joven, to the Crianza, aged for a minimum 2 years with 1 year of that in barrel; Reserva increases the aging to 3 years with one year of that in barrel, and Gran Reserva 4 years with 2 of those years in barrel.
You can expect to smell aromas of cherry, blackberry, and, as it ages, more cooked berries, dried berries, and spice notes, plus toasted wood, cedar, dried fig, tobacco, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. Yep, a lot is going on in a Rioja wine.
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