Orben Rioja 2021

Orben Rioja 

Region: Rioja, Spain

Vintage: 2021

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Tempranillo

ABV: 14.5%

The wine shows an intense garnet colour and a refined nose layered with toasty oak, pencil lead, leather, black cherry and blackberry. The palate is fleshy and fruit-driven, supported by firm structure and impressive breadth. Impeccably balanced, it finishes with notable persistence and depth.

The vineyards benefit from the mitigating influence of the Atlantic Ocean giving the resulting wines fresh acidity, which is important in a very warm climate. The grapes for this wine come from a selection of 79 plots of an average size of 0.30 hectares, located in Laguardia. The vines are planted on poor and shallow soils consisting of clay and limestone and are trained using the Goblet system. This area has the highest percentage of old vines in Rioja, with these vineyards planted between 1945 and 1954, with an average yield of four tonnes per hectare.

The grapes were manually harvested in 15 kg boxes before destemming and transfer to stainless-steel tanks for alcoholic fermentation, which included double pigeage to ensure gentle yet thorough extraction. Malolactic fermentation followed in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and new French oak barrels. The wine was then aged for 12 months in 100% French oak, half new and half second-use, allowing it to develop depth, structure and refined aromatics.

The Orben project is a collaboration between friends who share a passion for fine food and wine. The Antón family (of Bodega Izadi) own 75% of the estate, with the remaining 25% split between many of Spain’s top restaurateurs.