Reserva Rioja 2016, Bodegas Sonsierra

An attractive maroon colour with a ruby edge. The nose offers elegant balsamic notes with a highly complex spiciness, in addition to hints of ripe dark fruit and a slight aroma of toast. On the palate it is well-rounded and velvety, with a hint of toast providing a pleasant finish. This is a superb choice to accompany game, roast meat, stews, very mature cheeses and seasonal wild-mushroom dishes.

Named Cooperative of the Year by Tim Atkin MW in his 2019 and 2021 Rioja Special Reports, Bodegas Sonsierra has136 grower members, and with over 1,500 vineyards ranging from400–750metres above sea level, the winery either directly owns or manages over 30% of all vineyards in Rioja Alta’s Sonsierra area. All members are highly supportive to the management’s forward-thinking, innovative strategies, and impressively under the new “Viñedos Singulares”(Single Vineyard) classification, they boast 9 of these special designation vineyards, more than any other Rioja producer. Today, Bodegas Sonsierra is the second largest bottling cooperative in Rioja, and is an exemplar of coordination and collaboration between their expert vine growers and their570hectares of vineyards. They are at the forefront of a genuine revolution in winemaking, and their unmatched commitment to quality as a collective has positioned them as one the most visionary winemakers in the Rioja region.

Fermentation took place in stainless steels tanks for 10 days, with maceration with the skins for 20 days to obtain the right colour. 12 months in American (70%) and French (30%) oak Bordeaux-type barrels followed, before a minimum of 24 months’ bottle aging.