Coto de Imaz Rioja Reserva

• Vintage: 2017
  
• Origin: Rioja, Spain
  
• Taste guide: This Reserva displays complex, red berry aromas with smoky vanilla notes. On the palate, there's round, warm and juicy spiced red cherry fruit with a velvety character, and ripe tannins are apparent, great structure, tannins and acidity on the finish.
• 75cl - 14% - Natural Cork Opening
• SOME BOTTLE LABELS ARE WINE STAINED/MARKED… hence the price! See photos
• Food pairing: Red meat or game dishes.

El Coto was founded in 1970 in Rioja Alavesa and has grown from modest beginnings into one of the best known of Rioja producers. Its first bottling was released in 1975.

Today, El Coto has over 700 hectares of vineyard in production across the three Rioja DOCa sub-zones of Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa.

El Coto is the leading quality brand in Rioja and among the top-selling Spanish wines in Europe.

The ‘Coto de Imaz’ wines in particular are made from a selection of the best Tempranillo grapes grown in El Coto’s vineyards in Cenicero, Rioja Alta. The soils here are limestone-rich clay and produce grapes of great flavour intensity and excellent levels of acidity, crucial for the making of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines which undergo extensive oak ageing.

Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were sorted, destemmed and crushed. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 22-27°C, with maceration for around 18 days and frequent pump overs, looking for the perfect balance between fruit and extraction. After malolactic conversion in tank, the wine was transferred to new, 225-litre American oak barrels where it was aged for 18 months before the final blend was assembled and bottled. After this, the wine was aged for a further 18 months in bottle before release.

£16-£20 elsewhere when checked (Aug ‘24) and only a few bottles sourced.