2016 Rioja Reserva

Deep cherry red, clean and bright. Good aromatic intensity with notes of ripe red fruits over a base of elegant balsamic. In the mouth is tasty, mellow, fresh and with fine nuances of sweet fruit. It has volume and the tannins are well integrated and polished. In the aftertaste, touches of very ripe fruit and nuances of liquorice appear making it last in the palate.

In 1970 Luis Canas changed two hundred years of tradition and became the first winemaker in Rioja Alavesa to bottle his young wine rather than sell it as bulk.

This bold move, and his continued pioneering spirit, has cemented the winery's enviable reputation as one of the most progressive in the region. Sheltered below the watchful Sierra Cantabria, the vineyards are all old, small plots on chalky-clay soils with a dedicated team of vineyard workers carrying out organic practices and a purpose built, fully equipped accommodation block was built for the entire vineyard team in 2006.

Upon entering the bodega, bunches undergo a manual selection and then individual grapes are sorted based on their weight. Following this double selection process, they are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a total of 22 days, obtaining better colour extraction as well as much more complex and tannic wines, suitable for prolonged aging. After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it under- goes malolactic fermentation and is aged for 18 months in French and American Oak.