Bodegas Amaren, Selección de Viñedos, DOCa Rioja Spain, 2019

Jon Cañas (Luis Cañas’ grandson) is the imaginative winemaker behind Bodegas Amaren.

Jon has been granted free rein to explore the character of Alavesa’s vineyards, giving us a raw, modern interpretation of Rioja Alavesa. Bodegas Amaren is comprised of some of best and highest altitude vineyards around the villages of Samaniego and Leza, where the soil is poor and gnarly vines, ageing up to and over 100 years old, produces small bunches, perfect for making highly concentrated Rioja wines.

WINEMAKING

Upon entering the bodega and passing the selection table, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in concrete deposits for a total of 8 days, obtaining better colour extraction as well as much more complex wines, suitable for prolonged ageing. The wine is clarified with vegetable gelatines followed by anicrobic filtration. After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled and aged for at least another 12 months before release.

TASTING NOTES

Ruby red colour, a clean nose with notes of balsamic and fine nuances of plum and clean oak. Smooth, fruit and spice flavours with toasted oak. Complex and structured. A pleasant finish with red fruits and hints of eucalyptus.

FOOD PAIRING

Red meats, game and ripe cheeses.