Luis Cañas Rioja Gran Reserva 2018

In 1970 Luis Cañas changed two hundred years of tradition and became the first winemaker in Rioja Alavesa to bottle his young wine rather than sell it as bulk.

This bold move, and his continued pioneering spirit, has cemented the winery's enviable reputation as one of the most progressive in the region. Sheltered below the watchful Sierra Cantabria, the vineyards are all old, small plots on chalky-clay soils with a dedicated team of vineyard workers carrying out organic practices and a purpose built, fully equipped accommodation block was built for the entire vineyard team in 2006.

Upon entering the Bodega, the bunches are carefully selected before being de-stemmed so the individual berries can be sorted based on their weight and following a double selection process. They later undergo fermentation and maceration in stainless steel deposits for 8 days obtaining better colour extraction as well as much more complex and tannic wines, suitable for prolonged ageing. The result is a wine that portrays the essence of a classic Rioja. After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a total of 24 months in French and American oak barrels. It is then bottled and aged for another 36 months.

Ruby red with earthy colour notes. Elegant and complex in the nose with a good concentration of black fruit, thyme and rosemary with secondary aromas of leather and tobacco leaves. It is polished and rounded, making it pleasant and easy to drink. Fleshy with both elegance and power. It has touches of black fruit jam and liquorice warm, with a long, delicious and persistent finish.