Bodegas Montebuena Clos Montebuena Reserva 2018, Rioja DOCa

Clos Montebuena Reserva is the top red from Bodegas Montebuena, made entirely from Tempranillo grown around the village of Labastida in Rioja Alavesa. The grapes are picked by hand from bush vines with an average age of around 55 years, at 450–550 metres on poor, shallow limestone soils that limit yields and give concentrated fruit. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, without herbicides or synthetic fertilisers. After a cold maceration, the wine is fermented in stainless steel, goes through malolactic fermentation naturally, and is then aged for 18 months in medium-toast American and French oak barrels between one and three years old. It is racked every six months and bottled unfiltered.

In the glass it is a deep, intense dark cherry with a pinkish rim. The nose is complex, with cocoa, wild fruit, dark cherry and smoke, opening to mineral and balsamic notes, with the oak well integrated. The palate is full of flavour, led by ripe wild berries, with hints of jam and marinated plums, a light, velvety texture and a liquorice finish.

Serve at around 16–18°C. Pair it with roast lamb, red meats, poultry and game, or a board of mature cheeses. With some bottle age behind it, it is ready to drink now and will hold for several more years.

Bodegas Montebuena was established in 1964 by a group of local growers in Labastida, in Rioja Alavesa, and takes its name from its best vineyard plots. The estate covers around 160 hectares, about 90 of them in Labastida, where the River Ebro comes closest to the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. This position brings a mix of continental and Mediterranean influences that tempers extremes of cold and rain. Most of the vineyards sit at 450–550 metres, where cool nights help the grapes keep their natural acidity, and the poor, shallow limestone soils limit yields and give concentrated, deeply coloured fruit. Farming is sustainable, with herbicides and synthetic fertilisers banned. Under winemaker César Castro, the wines are fermented in stainless steel and aged for between 4 and 18 months in French and American oak, depending on the style.