LA ÍNSULA
GRAPE: Garnacha
APPELLATION: Rioja DOCa
VINIFICATION: «La Ínsula» is a tiny little spot planted with Garnacha before the Phylloxera attack of the end of the 19th Century .
The harvest was done by hand in small crates to accomplish a total 700 kgs. Fermentation took place in a small stainless steel tank. After fermentation, the wine was racked into a 500L. oak barrel, where malolactic fermantion developed spontaneously. In total, the wine rested in oak for 14 months.
TASTING NOTES:
The wine i s explosive, floral and aromatic, combining freshness with Mediterranean aromatics. Great balance, purity and freshness, with very clean and pure flavors. This is beautiful, fine and elegant.
FOOD PAIRING:
Cured meats. long slow cooked roasts of pork or lamb.
RATINGS HISTORY:
- 95 Points by Tim Atkin, vntg 2020
- 93 Points by Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), vntg 2020.
PRODUCER:
Briones, in the heart of the Rioja Alta, gathered all the conditions I was looking for: old steep vineyards of Tempranillo grapes, chalky soil and a climate showing a marked Atlantic influence. Declared a town of historic artistic merit, Briones is where we decided to site our bodega.
Now as one of the smallest wineries in Spain, our wines are among the most prestigious in the country.