La Perla 2017 Rioja Reserva
WINEMAKER NOTES
La Perla's vineyards are in the most northern part of the Alta region of Rioja. This northerly positioning, along with the talents of winemakers Luis and Eva, creates tasty wines with complexity and interest. A blend of hand harvested 85% Tempranillo 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo that is aged in the family's cellars for 18 months in American and French oak and then another 18 months in bottle before release. The bouquet is deep and complex, wafting from the glass in a mix of black raspberries, cassis, cigar smoke, Rioja spice tones, a fine base of soil, coffee bean and a fine foundation of American oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and starting to get nicely velvety on the attack, with a superb core of fruit, lovely soil inflection, tangy acids, suave, fine-grained tannins and a long, impeccably balanced and complex finish.