Tasting Note
The wine is a fine dark ruby, with depth and concentration readily apparent in the glass. The bouquet is discreet and engaging, offering sweet red berry notes, warm spice and a hint of oak. The palate is sumptuous - refined fruit flavours burst forth, filling the mouth. There is a hint of minerality too. 2004 Reserva is a beautifully balanced wine, silky and stylish with a well-cut frame. It has a rewarding length, truly a wine for all seasons.
Grape Variety
If not Spain's most planted red grape, then certainly its most prestigious. The backbone of rioja, and under 'sous-noms', the grape of Toro, Ribera del Duero and elsewhere in the north of the country. Early ripening, it can be picked ahead of the autumn rains of the Rioja region, and it remains trim and sleek in the Spanish sun. The temptation is to pick at high yields and in Rioja blending with the sturdier Garnacha and the more tannic Mazuelo and Graciano is the rule rather than the exception. There is a growing trend to specialise in the variety however, and with careful viticulture, rich-textured, deep coloured single-varietal wines - reflecting the quality the grape has achieved on its own in the higher altitude ribera del Duero for example - have resulted.
Grown in Portugal where it is Known as Aragonez in the Alentejo region reflecting its Spanish origins this early ripening variety can be picked ahead of autumn rains and it remains trim and sleek in the Iberian sun. It contributes a fleshy harmony to numerous blends. Also important and in the Douro where, as Tinto Roriz, it finds its way into many port wines.
A minor component of a typical rioja blend, but important nevertheless as it brings structure, perfume and a meaty depth to the wine. Susceptible to disease and therefore rare, it has acquired a cult following in recent years as a sole varietal. Pure Graciano is a dense, satisfying wine, full and structured with red and black fruit aromas and has a long ageing potential.
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