2021 Tabuerniga Rioja Telmo Rodriguez

The 2021 Tabuerniga follows its path of complexity and elegance with a faint iron-like side this year, with notes of blood and rusty nail, a little earthier. Winemaker Pablo Eguzkiza thought that could be because this year the wine has more Graciano. It's also a little lighter, a little more ethereal. The grapes were picked between the sixth and eighth of October, and they were very healthy. They used a small portion of full clusters, maybe 5%, fermented in 3,000-liter open-top oak vats and matured in 1,500-liter oak foudres for 14 to 16 months. It has the harmony, balance and freshness with the elegant and seamless tannins from 2021. 2021 delivered good yields, and that might have provided finer-boned wines, a little in the style of 2016. This is superb.

This wine presents an intriguing bouquet of dried herbs, spices and dark fruit underscored by a stony, austere note and hints of violets and white pepper. On the palate, this medium- to full-bodied wine is both fleshy and well defined, displaying a serious character balanced by linear acidity, with the fruit seamlessly integrated. Firm, yet so elegant and precise. The finish is long and satisfying. This comes from an old head-trained vineyard planted in a terraced amphitheater in Labastida. While it is already enjoyable, it will undoubtedly improve with some bottle aging.

The 2021 Tabuérniga comes from a 2.7-hectare site in Lanciego, Rioja Alavesa, aged up to 16 months in 1,500-liter foudres. Rich purple in hue, it presents dried rose, fresh strawberry and fine herb aromas. Smooth and juicy, with refined tannins and chalky tension, it boasts both delicacy and impact. Elegant, layered and restrained, it is the contrasting qualities that make =the 2021 a standout in Rioja.