Rioja 'Cerro Las Cuevas' 2021

This is a powerful red wine, with attractive aromas of ripe, dark berries, chocolate, liquorice and warm spices. It is made from grapes harvested in a very special part of Rioja: Ollauri, where vines grow on extremely steep slopes consisting of sand and limestone. Cerro Las Cuevas is a blend of red grapes. It is 80% Tempranillo and 12% Graciano, with smaller amounts of Mazuela and Garnacha.

Goméz Cruzado, a boutique bodega in Haro, Rioja Alta. Family business since 1886 and now led by Juan. The winemaker of Telmo Rodriguez for over 25 years and associated with Gomez Cruzado since 2022. A winemaker with an eye for tradition and especially looking at the terroir of the region for the grape variety in question. Goméz Cruzado believes above all in the terroir and the people who have worked their lives in the vineyards. This ensures that the wines excel at every level; both the generic wines and the ‘single vineyard’ wines. Gomez Cruzado is one of the oldest bodegas in Rioja and they are located in Haro. The capital of the quality producers. GC increasingly focuses on the vineyards with their terroir and less on the years of maturation in the barrels. Exactly as it once was. Traditionally, Goméz Cruzado is also praised for its white Riojas. Where making the blanco variant is seen as an extra by many bodegas, it is a real tradition here and a large part of the production (around 25%) is reserved for white wines (Rioja blanca is also for sale here)

The La Rioja region is an autonomous region and province in the north of Spain, directly below the Basque Country. We know it mainly from its wine growing, perhaps the most famous region in Spain. There is wine growing in all shapes and sizes, ranging from cheap and mediocre in quality, to top quality with ditto prices. Tempranillo is by far the most important grape variety here, although limited amounts of other grapes may be used. Rioja Alta is the northwestern part of the Rioja region, and the most sought-after in terms of quality.