Arzuaga Reserva 2019

Arzuaga Reserva, Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2019

Grapes: 98% Tempranillo, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Merlot, hand-picked fruit from over 80 year old vines in Burgos combined with young vine fruit grown in Valladolid. Fermentation and 26 months' ageing in new French oak barrels.

The majority of the grapes come from the oldest vines on the La Planta estate. This reserva wine is the result of traditional, sustainable vine-growing. The chalky clay soils with limestone bedrock less than a metre below the surface at an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft) give our wines their unique character.

Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro, established by Florentino Arzuaga in the early 1990s, is based in the town of Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid, in Castilla y Leon, north-western Spain and is a neighbour to the famous Vega Sicilia vineyards.

Producer Tasting Note:

Colour: Ruby red with purple hues.

Aroma: Ripe red fruits with aromatic complexity. These primary aromas intertwine in a very elegant way with tertiary aromas such as roasted notes and spices from barrel ageing.

Palate: Unctuous, velvety and tasty. With an elegance and great persistence.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Inky dark purple core and hue. Intense, meaty and smoky notes with ripe blackberry, cassis, smoked meat, pepper, wild herbs and fine oak derived spiciness. The palate is dense and concentrated with fine proportions, ripe tannin a fresh acidity giving a lift to the dense and concentrated fruit, still some oak presence but balanced with a long and plush finish."

92/100 points, Andreas Larsson, TASTED, December 2022

"This delicious reserva is garnet-ruby in the glass, with a violet-colored rim. It has enticing aromas of ripe cherry, red plum and saddle leather. In the mouth, there are flavors of ripe red and black fruits, dried sage and thyme, pencil lead and cedar shavings. The tannins are velvety, the mouthfeel is voluptuous, and the finish goes on for days."

94/100 points, Wine Enthusiast, September 2023

Also rated 93/100 points by Tim Atkin MW

Food Pairing: Ideal with blue fish and soft cheeses. Red meats, white meats, big game, and feathered game, roasted or in a sauce.