Gomez Cruzado Rioja Crianza, Haro, La Rioja, Spain, 2022

Grapes A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha, manual harvest, oak aged

Producer Tasting Note:

Plum and bramble aromas with savoury, lightly spicy hints. A smooth, approachable crianza with ripe dark fruits and supple tannins. Showing tremendous balance and quality.

Critic's Tasting Note:

"Ripe, brambly nose with notes of cherry compote and strawberries. Juicy and vibrant, featuring firm tannins and a granular, tightly wound finish. A touch chewy, with a medium-length finish. This is a blend of tempranillo and approximately 20-25% garnacha, with hints of graciano and mazuelo. Drink now."

89/100 points, James Suckling, July 2025

Vineyards & Winemaking: The Tempranillo grapes are sourced from vineyards planted in the foothills of the Cantabrian mountains (Rioja Alta & Alavesa), and from the lower (Baja) course of the Najerilla river (in Rioja Alta - between the villages of Uruñuela, Cenciero and Torremontalbo). The Garnacha vines are planted near the higher (Alta) course of the Najerilla river (Rioja Alta - near Badarán). Soil types are a combination of alluvial, sandstone-clay and ferrous-clay. The vineyards are between 60 and 80 years of age, which gives further intensity to the wine. The grapes are handpicked into 20kg crates and sorted by hand at the winery.

After 3 days of pre-fermentative maceration at low temperature, the must undergoes daily remontage and delestage during temperature-controlled fermentation in cone-shaped stainless steel tanks. The fermentation uses whole berries which creates some of the floral, complex characters and silky tannin structure. This is followed by 12 months maturation in, mostly new, American oak barriques.

Estate: The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day. Subsequently, bought by Angel and Jesus Gomez Cruzado in 1916, and more recently by the Baños family, winemaker Juan Bautista Sáenz crafts wines from vineyards of old bush vines in the most elevated areas of Rioja Alta and Alavesa.

Food Match: Authentic kebabs or herby lamb chops