Wine of the Day, No. 896
Rioja for the win.
What would you pay for a perfectly aged, yet fresh and young-seeming red wine blend from Spain’s Rioja region? Friends, it’s not nearly as much as you might think.
The wine is the Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 2018, and you should buy it by the case to consume over the next year or two.
A blend of tempranillo. graziano and mazuelo grapes, the wine aged 18 months in French and American oak barrels and 18 months in the bottle. The color is a rich ruby-mulberry hue with a tinge of garnet; the nose is drenched with ripe black and red cherries infused with tobacco and cedar, wood smoke, mint and licorice, lavender and a touch of blueberry; these elements segue seamlessly to the palate, where galloping acidity plows a furrow through a dense, almost powdery texture framed by fine-grained tannins and burnished wood; again, an abundance of cherries in every form — fresh, dried and macerated — distinguishes the palate, concluding with a finish steeped in black tea, baking spices and limestone. 13.5% alcohol. Try this versatile wine with dishes that range from burgers and quesadillas to steak, pork tenderloin and braised lamb shanks. Excellent. About — are you ready? — $16, marking Great Value.
Imported by Pernot Ricard USA, New York. A sample for review.
