Artesa Organic Rioja, Bodegas Ontanon, La Rioja, Spain, 2021

Grape: 100% Tempranillo, organic, sustainable farming, 6 months in American oak

Producer Tasting Note:

Vibrant plum and cherry aromas combine with smoky, herbal notes and a hint of clove. The palate is complex with juicy bramble fruit, black pepper, and lifted, savoury characters.

Winemaking: 200 hectares of estate vineyards near Alfaro provide the basis of the Artesa range and the best of these, at high altitude (500 to 600 metres), with mature vines and poor, stony soils, have been converted to organic production. Fermented in stainless steel and matured for 3 - 6 months in new American oak barrels

Estate: Bodegas Ontañón is a 5th generation family-owned and run winery in Rioja Baja (now Rioja Oriental). Here Raquel, Rubén and Maria Pérez Cuevas continue their father Gabriel's work to develop Bodegas Ontañón into one of the most highly-regarded wineries in Rioja. Ontañón has vast swathes of vineyard in this part of Rioja. Whilst wine production in the region is typically very dependent on contracts with grape growers, the Pérez Cuevas family has seen fit to invest heavily in the purchase of its own land and vines. Its 250ha is a testament to the importance it places on controlling grape quality.

The family's vineyards sit high in the Sierra Yerga mountains in the prestigious region surrounding Quel, defying misconceptions that Rioja Baja is one of the lesser sub-regions within Rioja. Many of their vineyards are actually planted at altitudes on a par with, or above, those in Rioja Alta and Alavesa; (La Pasada is their highest vineyard at 800m above sea level, planted in 1979 it is used for Reserva and Gran Reserva wines). The hot and dry Mediterranean climate allows for consistent ripening of the grapes with little disease and this has enabled them to pursue organic production across 57 hectares of vines. As well as farming organically and producing a range of organic wines, Bodegas Ontañón are certified under the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP) programme.

Food Match: Drink with casseroles, red meat or manchego cheese