Gómez Cruzado Cerro Las Cuevas Rioja 2021

Grapes are sourced from vineyards in Ollauri – areas known as ‘Las Laderas’ and ‘Calitrancos’, where vines date back 90 years and grow on a steeply sloping narrow plot. The main variety grown in Tempranillo, but also Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Soils are limestone with pebbles on the surface in Las Laderas, and more sandy at Calitrancos. The grapes are hand-picked into 15Kg crates, and are then sorted further at the winery. Fermentation is in an open stainless steel tank using indigenous yeast, and with a gentle plunging of the cap to extract tannins from the skin. Malolactic fermentation and maturation in French oak foudres.

“I love the perfumed nose of the 2021 Cerro Las Cuevas, from a spectacular ancient vineyard that is being converted to organic farming and is planted with a field blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and the rest Garnacha, Mazuelo and others. It’s not a shy wine at 15% alcohol but has very good freshness and acidity, and the alcohol goes unnoticed. It fermented in open vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 12 months. 4,966 bottles were filled in May 2023.” 95pts Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocate