Description
Bodegas Riojanas, “Viña Albina” Rioja Reserva
Riojanas’ “Viña Albina” is sourced from various estate vineyards throughout their hometown of Cenicero. Led by Tempranillo and rounded out with small amounts of Mazuela and Graciano, the grapes are de-stemmed and gently crushed at the winery before a native-yeast fermentation in large, upright wooden vessels. Following, the resulting wine matures in high-quality, medium-toasted American oak for 24-30 months before bottling. Up until its arrival at our warehouse in late January, today’s parcel spent the duration of its life in a private Spanish cellar.
Proper service is essential for wines of antiquity, so please read the following. Stand your bottle upright for several days (preferably weeks, if you have the time) to allow the sediment and wine to “settle” from its transatlantic journey. When opening, I strongly recommend extracting the cork with an ah-so tool—better still is a Durand, a must-have for lovers of long-aged wines. If your cork breaks and/or is accidentally pushed in, do not fret, all is not lost! Gently pour the wine through a fine strainer and into a decanter, or a clean bottle if you don’t want the wine exposed to excess air.
