Tasting Notes
Ondarre Rioja features spice and leather on the nose with a smooth and subtle creamy palate of strawberries, vanilla and integrated tannins through to a long, lingering finish.
About
With multiple awards and accolades, we at Winestore Eccleston consider this Reserva to be the best wine of its type available.
We initially came across this wine when one of our company owners went in search of a top quality Rioja for two restaurant clients, one a local fine dining restaurant and the other, the world famous Gleneagles hotel. Having tried countless options, we went for Ondarre as it stood head and shoulders above the others. Needless to say, both restaurants added it to their wine lists.
Founded in 1986, Bodegas Ondarre is a relatively new winery. They quickly established themselves as an outstanding producer with elegant, distinctive wines and their Riojas continue to win award after award, including a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge. They are based in Viana, about 6 kilometres from the centre of Rioja.
Vineyards: The vineyards are situated on Rioja Valley’s northern hills on south-facing slopes, at an altitude of 550 metres above sea level. The vines, which have an average age of 25 years, are planted in uneven terrain due to several streams that run down the mountains that mark the northern border of Rioja. The soils are generally poor in nutrients and very shallow, just 30 to 35 centimetres in depth, which encourage the vines to send their roots deeper in search of nutrients and water. The soils vary from plot to plot, but there is a prevalence of clay based soils with high iron and chalk content. The clay content retains water, which nourishes the vines during the warm summers and the iron content is an essential nutrient for photosynthesis.
Winemaking: This Rioja is a blend of two grape varieties, Tempranillo (90%), and Mazuelo (10%).
Each grape variety was fermented separately in temperature controlled vats at 28 to 30°C, which lasted for between 16 to 18 days. The wine was blended and then aged for 16 months in American and French oak Bordeaux-type casks imparting subtle oak complexity. During the maturation the wine was racked four times, in order to gently extract phenolic compounds by oxygenating the wine. This produced a softer wine which exhibits great varietal fruit character.
Ideal with...
Roast lamb works very well with this big wine as do most red meats and game. Ondarre Reserva also goes exceptionally well with a cheese board and especially with mature hard cheeses.
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