Bodegas Lanzaga Rioja Las Beatas 2018

“It’s always a very exciting moment when tasting a new vintage of what has quickly become one of the icons from Rioja. The 2018 Las Beatas comes from a very wet year that saw a late harvest, starting October 8 and finishing on November 1, and these grapes were picked in mid-October to deliver a more aromatic and cool expression of the place. The field blend of grapes fermented in a 3,000-liter open-top oak vat with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in a 1,200-liter oak foudre for 14 to 16 months. This is not as powerful and concentrated as the 2015, but it’s more elegant and fluid, with great purity and inner strength. The grapes ripened very slowly, and the wine developed great complexity and nuance. It feels young and undeveloped, a little closed at first, in need of some more time to develop further complexity in bottle. It’s tender and young, easy to drink, approachable and round, but with all the ingredients to develop nicely in bottle.1,528 bottles were filled in May 2020.” 99 Points Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocate