Ramon Bilbao, Crianza, 2021, Rioja, Spain
Another Crianza fron Rioja, Spain and a decent one too with a Silver medal from the IWC. Dry, firm but well integrated tannins and plenty of length of dark fruits. It’s like VW Polo, decent all round and nothing bad. At £12 a bottle its good value, well done.
Ugalde, Rioja, Crianza, 2019, Spain
This Rioja from Ugalde is a great example of a young Rioja, age around 6 months in oak it’s dry, high in tannins and acidity, got massive amounts of black and red fruit flavours. There’s leather, chocolate, coffee notes in there with a slight earthy undertone all integrated very well.
At zbout £11 a bottle it’s excellent value and paired with a winter roast or BBQ in the summer it’s an all year round wine.
Spain produces a lot of wine and some regions get better attention than others. Rioja is probably the most well known, mainly for cheap, red easy drinking wine. Ribera del Duero wines are a little less known but very accessible and affordable with many well under £10 a bottle. A decent one can age for 7+ years. This is a decent one. Deep purple in colour and high in alcohol seem fairly standard for a red wine from a hot region. On the aroma and flavour front theres lots going on, black cherry, vanilla, tobacco which are quite intense on the nose. Undertones of licorice, and sweet spice with hints of smokeyness come through on the taste. The balance and structure are very good with tannins that are softer than you may expect and sweetness that’s welcome.
This for me was an easy drinking wine but a wine that I wanted to savour, not guzzle. Excellent.
Lambuena, Crianza, Ribera del Duero 2015, Spain