2007 Rioja Gran Reserva

Very balsamic, serious and subtle, the young looking 2007 Gran Reserva is backward, closed and presenting like a wine for the future. As Fernando Remírez de Ganuza explained to me last year when I tasted the 2006 (he has only produced a handful of Gran Reserva as it was a category that was close to dying for a while), he used 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 5% skins and pulp of white grapes (Viura and Malvasia). This is a truly modern version of the most classical of all styles with notes of camphor and balsamic woods, earthy notes of forest floor and graphite making the nose more mineral than fruit-driven. The palate is austere to extremes and shows a chalky minerality that sticks to your teeth and ultra-fine tannins countered by moderate acidity. The wine was aged in new oak barrels (80% French and 20% American) for 39 months and bottled in August 2011. One to forget in the cellar. It should make a great bottle of classical Rioja. 7,500 bottles.