Rioja Reserva

Spain
Rioja
2019

96% Tempranillo and 4% Graciano grown in a 1960s vineyard on limestone soils. Grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in barrel with malolactic completed, and aged for two years in American oak (70% new with French oak "heads"), with racking every six months. Three years in bottle before releasing. 7,100 bottles produced.

94 points
"Miguel Merino's Reserva used to be more traditional in style than his other wines, but that has now changed. Subtle, refined and elegant, it has rose petal and thyme aromas, finegrained tannins, plum and red berry fruit flavours and a hint of vanilla spice. One of the bodega's best Reservas yet. 2025-32"
Tim Atkin,
Tim Atkin
Special Rioja Report 2025
93 points
"The 2019 Reserva is only the second vintage Miguel made after he took over from his late father, Miguel Sr. It's a more classical expression of the grapes, mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Graciano from five Briones vineyards planted in the 1950s and 1960s, the wine pictured by his father. Miguel fermented the grapes in a 12,000-liter stainless steel tank and matured the wine in mixed French and American oak barrels, one-third of them new, for 22 months. Despite the amount of new wood, this seems less marked by the élevage than the Vitola, perhaps there's more depth and concentration here and the wine took the oak better. It has good parameters, 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.6 grams of acidity and fine tannins. 7,101 bottles were filled in August 2021. It's evolving quite slowly."
Luis Gutiérrez,
Wine Advocate

SKU/Code: 
DB4837-19
Product Line: 
Wine
Red
Varietal: 
Tempranillo