Torre de Oña Finca Martelo Rioja Alavesa Reserva 2016
£33.75
The wine
A polished, elegant and modern Rioja showing a beautiful expression of terroir, with ripe berried fruit complemented by liquorice, clove, pepper and delicate balsamic notes. Structured, with lovely balance and a long, sleek finish.
Finca Martelo is the estate's finest parcel and the wine is a Reserva, requiring three years of ageing with one in oak. Torre de Ona follows La Rioja Alta's methods of long ageing and hand racking, but bottles by plot rather than blending across the region, which is the newer thinking in Rioja.
The producer
Torre de Oña
View all Torre de Oña winesTorre de Ona lies at Paganos in Rioja Alavesa and was acquired by La Rioja Alta in 1995. The estate farms around forty hectares in a single block around the winery, which is unusual in a region where holdings are typically scattered.
Rioja Alavesa is the coolest and highest of Rioja's three sub-regions, sitting in the lee of the Sierra de Cantabria on chalky clay soils. The mountains shelter it from Atlantic weather while the altitude keeps nights cold, and the combination gives wines of finer tannin and greater perfume than the warmer zones to the east. Many consider it the finest raw material in Rioja.
The estate follows La Rioja Alta's methods, with long ageing and hand racking, but bottles by parcel rather than blending across the region. Finca Martelo and Finca San Martin are named plots, and El Camino refers to the pilgrim route to Santiago that passes close by.
