Spain: Finca Allende - Mingortiz 2016, Rioja

Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo. 14.5% alcohol.

This wine is grown in the Mingortiz vineyard, at an altitude of 515 metres which helps to preserve freshness. Its soils are a mix of limestone and clay.

The Mingortiz vineyard was planted in 1964, meaning yields are now miniscule and the fruit of such superb concentration that it will allow the resulting wine to effortlessly ingest the 16 months it spends in new 225L French oak and for it to mature beautifully for many years, with ageing potential of at least 25 years. 

Finca Allende is one of Spain’s most prestigious wineries, yet it is also one of its most humble: no flamboyant hotel and visitor centre designed by some famous architect, no glitzy marketing, no fleet of tractors or branded ATVs – just horses!

Their sole focus is on making the very best wines possible in the most sustainable way possible; nothing else matters here. 

There aren’t many wine producers, particularly in Rioja, who could claim a greater focus on sustainability and respect for the environment than Allende: only organic fertilisers are used; they use horses rather than tractors to minimise soil compaction and carbon emissions; they do not use herbicides or any synthetic chemicals; they use natural cork washed and sterilised without the use of any chemicals.

Like a lot of top-class wines, there is no fining (clarification) or filtration.

Immediately engaging yet refined aromas of blueberries, blackberries and sweet spices augmented by balsamic and mineral notes, ceding to a full-bodied but silky-smooth palate with great length on the finish.

Such a beautifully made, harmonious wine, drinking very well now but with plenty of time left (at least another 10-15 years).

Food Pairing:

Lamb with garlic and rosemary, beef wellington, duck with blackberry sauce, aged cheeses, chorizo and lentil stew, grilled aubergine, Iberico pork.

What the critics say:

94/100 (Outstanding: of remarkable personality) – Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

93/100 (Excellent: high quality, typicity, expressive character) - José Peñín, Guía Peñín

93/100 (Excellent quality, character, appeal) – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com