Ugarte Reserva 2012 Rioja £14.95

Ageing; 20 months in new French and American oak barrels

Structure; Elegant and bold mediun Red

Food pairing ideas; Lamb, Pork dishes,Dishes with Red Pepper, Game, 

Description:

An intense dark cherry colour, with aromas with memories of forest fruits, liquorice and delicate hints of spices and toast. A balanced wine with stong ripe tannins on the palate, culiminating in a nice long finish.

Producer Profile:

Eguren Ugarte is a family company, whose Riojas are marketed under the Ugarte name. The family traces its winemaking back to 1870, when Don Amancio Ugarte began to cultivate vines and mature his own wines. Situated in the Rioja Alavesa just outside the lovely medieval hill town of Laguardia, Victorino Eguren Ugarte, grandson of the founder , with his children built the new cellar Heredad Ugarte (Heredad = heir or heritage). At harvest time the grapes are driven up to the reception area above the cellars, which then use a gravity system to fill the fermentation tanks, from which the wine later goes to the oak barrels below for ageing. Thus the wine gets the gentlest treatment at all stages of its life.