WINE OF THE WEEK - 2015 El Coto de Imaz Rioja Gran Reserva — Wine It Up A Notch

Do you like the idea of having a well aged wine but simply don’t have the patience (or the room, or the budget!) to buy wine, store it and drink it years later?

If you’re vehemently shaking your head “yes” right now, we’ve got you covered with this week’s wine pick.

This week, we’re looking at an extremely well priced wine that is available right now and it already has a lot of age on it.

That’s right - the producer has done the work, meaning they’ve aged the wine already before putting it out into the market. And now you the consumer can simply sit back and enjoy all of those beautiful tertiary notes that develop in aged wines without having to wait even a minute longer!

Sound good?

Awesome! Let’s get into this week’s wine pick!

2015 El Coto de Imaz Rioja Gran Reserva

This week’s wine comes from the relatively well known region of Rioja, Spain. Rioja is located in the central north of Spain and is a treasure trove of well priced, aged wines. Read on to learn what you need to know about this week’s wine.

What does this wine cost?

$34.95 CAD.

Where does this wine come from?

As noted above, this wine comes from the Rioja region of Spain.

The Rioja region is located in the northern part of Italy, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by mountains. It has three sub-zones, broadly speaking. While the term “Rioja” might be relatively well known by many wine consumers, most people do not recognize the diversity that this region offers, nor do they realize that Rioja is one of only two DOCa regions (the highest possible moniker on the appellation and quality ladder by Spanish law) in the country.

There are two things to remember when it comes to Rioja.

The first is that all red wines will be Tempranillo dominant.

The second is that not all Rioja is created equal. There is a relatively complex and detailed set of rules that govern how long wines can be aged and how they must be labelled to indicate the period of time that they have been aged.

Rioja wines are classified into four categories based on the length of their aging process: Joven, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. For the consumer that understands the labelling conventions well, Rioja can be an enormous source of well-priced, well-aged wines!

Why is this wine unique?

This wine is a “Gran Reserva”. Under Spanish law, and more specifically, Rioja appellation requirements, a wine may only be labelled as “Gran Reserva” if it has been aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels and then spent at least three years in the bottle before it is released for sale. This extended aging process allows the wine to develop complex flavors and aromas.

It is worth noting that the oak barrels used for aging the wine must be made of American or French oak, with a minimum capacity of 225 liters. The barrels must be new or have been previously used for aging Rioja wines.

Whenever wines have been aged for a long time prior to release into the market, this signifies quality because to do so comes at a very high expense for producers and hence, a lot of wines do not benefit from this treatment.

Who makes this wine?

This wine is made by El Coto de Rioja, known to be the largest producer of Rioja wines.

Located in the heart of the Rioja Alta region in Spain, El Coto was founded in 1970 and has since become one of the most well-known and respected wineries in the region. The winery produces a range of Rioja wines, including Joven, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva.

The winery has implemented sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in their vineyards and production processes, and they continue to innovate and experiment with new techniques to produce high quality wines.

Click here to learn more about El Coto de Rioja.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Grape Varieties - Tempranillo and Graciano

ABV - 13.5%

Residual Sugar - 2 g/L

Wineitupanotch tasting notes:

A pretty ruby core is lined with brick red because of the age of this wine. The nose of the wine displays red and black fruit, and floral characteristics but the most noteworthy aspect is actually the tertiary notes of earth, tobacco and cigar box that come through, hinting at the complexity that one finds on the palate.

The palate is structured and lean, with grippy tannins and mouth-watering acidity that envelop a focussed offering of dried cherry and black plum/cassis, black tea, coconut and warm baking spice and leather hide and tobacco flavours. This wine is undoubtedly complex.

Aging potential:

Drink now or hold for 1-2 years.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

Enjoy this wine with meat - think grilled, smoked, roasted or stewed red meat. It really is perfect for that. We think it would be amazing alongside smoked ribs or brisket!

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 90 points

This is an excellent value. It is well made and represents entry level Gran Reserva wines from Rioja for a very decent price.

FINAL VERDICT:

This wine is definitely worth your time and your dollars. It is a good wine to serve to someone who is knowledgeable about wines and likes a bit of age on the red juice in their glass!

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, we’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop us a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine!……

Cheers…..XOXO