Score: 90+/100
This Rioja Reserva wine by Campo Viejo is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo.
More perspective on this wine with a former article published in January 2017: 2012 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva rating & review.
Winemaking Facts
After grape harvest, the wine was fermented in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of around 28ºC.
Maceration on skins lasted for approximately 20 days before an 18-month ageing in American and French-oak (50% of each) wine barrels. The wine was further aged in bottle at the winery for another 18 months before it was first released to round it all off.
Tasting Notes
This Rioja red comes in a bright red color of medium intensity. It does look quite dark with both orange and purple hues complementing the bright red color and deepening it.
The nose delivers intense aromas of fresh plum, vanilla and sweet spices. Touches of prune liqueur together with sour cherries, make the smell feel warming and comforting in an elegant combination with sweet spices, somewhat like an elegant mulled wine. Some depth, fruity and toasted aromatic profile, with a savory edge.
On the palate, this Rioja feels very smooth and approachable, soft velvety tannins of medium density. The wine bursts in, again, comforting cooked fruit flavors and explodes towards the finish in a wealth of oaky and spicy tones: clove and nutmeg, vanilla and caramelized hazelnut, cooked apple and dried banana.
Like we love in Rioja wines that have been aged for a long time in a solid proportion of American oak, typically like in this Reserva, the combination of ripe grapes and a wealth of tasty oak bring smoothness and complex flavor profile in an elegant yet powerfully scented smoothness.
When to Drink?
One of the good things about some long-aged-in-oak Rioja wines is that it is sold to you already matured, complexified and rounded up by the time it’s spent maturing at the winery. This is a perfect example here. The Campo Viejo Reserva already has smooth tannins and a rather complex flavor profile and great to enjoy now without having to cellar, for enjoying the freshness of its fruit characters as well.
It should however, hold a good composure and develop further savory components for the next 5 years.
Drink now and within 5 years then.
Enjoy 🙂
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