Bodegas Amézola de la Mora, Iñigo Tinto 2019, Rioja. Spain

About Bodegas Amézola de la Mora :  Established in the mid-19th Century, is one of Rioja’s oldest and finest wine estates. Restored in the early 1980s by brothers Iñigo and Javier Amézola, this estate is extremely unusual (for Rioja) in that it owns all of its vines. The estate encompasses 60 ha of mature vines overlooking the confluence of the Najerilla and Ebro Rivers in the heart of Rioja Alta.
Following the tragic death of their winemaker father, Iñigo’s daughters María and Cristina have guided the property, capably assisted by winemaking consultant Georges Pauli, who served previously as head enologist at Château Gruaud-Larose and other fine French estates. At the time the sisters took over the winery they were the youngest wine-producers in Rioja.
Despite their youth, their enthusiasm and high diligence to producing wines of the highest quality have since earned them huge respect amongst their peers and wine aficionados. The prestigious and influential wine critic Robert M. Parker, recently classified Rioja’s Iñigo Amézola  and Viña Amézola  as “outstanding”.

Winemaking: “It undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrels and is aged for 8 months in completely new French oak. During all that time we perform 2 batonings per week. We work the barrels in two ways; Well we shake them, well we let them roll but we never stir them. Colloquially we refer to a “James Bond” baton… in the sense that it is “mixed not shaken”.

Description: Iñigo Amézola Tinto is Rioja for the 21st Century. 100% Tempranillo. Hailing from a single vineyard called San Quiles, which is considered the estate’s very best, this 100% Tempranillo is only made in the finest vintages. Completely fermented in oak barrels and matured for 8-10 months in a mixture of French and American oak, the result is a deeper, darker, richer and far more modern style of Tempranillo, almost a hybrid between Rioja and Ribera del Duero.  It is characterized by a dark ripe cherry color, practically opaque. On the nose notes of black forest fruits and balsamic. On the palate it is a generous wine with a long aftertaste.

ABV : 14%