Tasting Note

A darker fruits style of Rioja, this has black cherries and black plums and other fully ripe notes, but it never slides too far into overripe territory. Perhaps surprisingly, this Crianza is still evolving, and its wood and herb notes are still finding their place within the fruit. Give this a year in the cellar and then drink for the next several years.

Wine Description

After being carefully selected on the sorting table, the grapes for this Crianza are destemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a few days. The aim is to obtain better color extraction as well as much more complex wines suitable for prolonged aging. The wine is then placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled and aged for another 12 months.

About the Winery

Bodegas Luis Cañas is a family-owned winery that dates back to 1928, although the family has been in the grape-growing and winemaking business for more than two centuries. Today it is one of the leading wineries of Rioja Alavesa. At Luis Cañas, the vinification process starts with 222 acres of their own Tempranillo, Viura, Graciano, and Mazuelo vineyards and another 494 acres controlled by their regular grape suppliers. The vineyards are divided into 815 separate plots of land at an altitude of 1,300 to 1,640 feet above sea level.

Visit their website: http://www.luiscanas.com