FINCA SAN MARTÍN | Torre de Oña | Rioja | Crianza | 2017
tempranillo

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Today we are are going to review a single varietal tempranillo wine from Spain‘s most famous Rioja wine region – Torre de Oña Rioja Crianza 2017 by Finca San Martín. Rioja is known for its fruity-savory and dusty wines that have the ability to age well for many years. Rioja is one of very few European winemaking regions that uses american oak barrels for ageing. The region itself is moderated by the Sierra Cantabria – a small but jagged mountain range that stops clouds from coming into the Rioja valley. The wines of Rioja are based mainly on the tempranillo grape variety, which is the champion grape of the region. Tempranillo is a spanish grape variety that for a long time has been ignored by the outside world as a more rustic grape of strictly local appeal, due to its flavour profile that is mostly savory rather than fruity. Nowadays, tempranillo is recognized as a noble, international grape variety that can make firm, bold and age-worthy wines. The vines has traditionally been trained en vaso, as little low bush vines, although some growers have been training it up on trellis to increase yields, but when the right tempranillo clone is grown on the right spot of land, without excessive yields and with real care, it can produce extremely long-lived wines. This particular wine is made of 100% tempranillo grapes that were sourced from the Torre de Oña vineyards of the prestigious La Rioja Alta sub-region. In order to gain more complexity and structure, it has been traditionally aged for 16 months in new and used american (60%) and french (40%) oak barriques. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep & noble garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & savory
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: cranberry | redcurrant | red plum | pomegranate skin
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | savory
__spice: red pepper | anise | bay leaf
__oak: sun-dried oakwood | tobacco
__earth: loam | clay | marl | brick dust
__savory: brown olive | iron | veal | old leather
primary layer: fruity-savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: ample | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spice & earth
finish: long
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
FINCA SAN MARTÍN | Torre de Oña | Rioja | Crianza | 2017
variety: tempranillo
country: Spain
region: Rioja | Rioja Alta
rating: 93.9

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 90+

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 91
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This is definitely a great wine of Spain and, with a total of 93.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is an ample, round and voluptuous Rioja wine, with a nuanced, fruity-savory accent on the nose and an vibrantly-rich palate. The wine is still in its developing phase, yet quite close to the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it within the next 2 or 3 years, but make sure you don’t miss that drinking window, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of ripe red fruits and some very nuanced savory notes in the foreground, supported by a noble, earthy-spicy background. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, fine-grained tannins and just a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a very pleasant, seedy-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a well structured Rioja wine that feels complex, grippy and extremely appealing – a real crowd pleaser of a wine that in its current state lacks maybe just a bit of elegance and finesse on the palate. We believe this wine will pair lovely with delicate and rustic meats, like for example Tournedos Rossini or a classic fillet mignon steak. Cheers!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.