Solar de Randez Finca San Angel Crianza 2016 (750 ml)

A beautiful Rioja from Bodegas las Orcas, the 2018 Finca San Angel is a true ‘Crianza’ entirely from Raimundo’s Finca San Angel vineyard.  It is grown at some of the highest elevations in the Rioja Alavesa region. The Tempranillo used in this wine is pulled from the family’s older vineyards, and it comes to the cellar for fermentation in stainless steel.  After pressing, the wine is moved to to used French oak barrels for 14 months, and then 4 years in bottle to rest. This Crianza shows gentle yet firm layers of fruits and spices, while mixing with traditional aromas and flavors of La Rioja such as game and leather.  With a long finish and an overall very complex structure, this is a wonderful bottle of red to accompany lamb, beef, and anything roasted.

Bodegas las Orcas is a small, family-owned and operated winery in the Rioja Alavesa region of Spain.  All the way back to the year 1900 in the medieval town of Laguardia, the family wines were made in their traditional cellar underneath the town, until the construction of their new bodega happened just outside the town walls in 1999.  Raimundo and his wife Cristina run the winery today and make remarkable Rioja wines using only fruit from their own family vineyards.  The vineyards are tended naturally without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides, and the wines are fermented using native yeasts and absolutely minimal filtration (also, all the wines are vegan friendly).  As a result, they make exceptional Rioja that brings together historic practices in the cellar, while also taking advantage of some more modern techniques, all while offering great value for authentically made wine from an area where large production has become a norm.

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