Jesús Madrazo Selección Rioja 2018
Jesús Madrazo Selección Rioja is a blend of Tempranillo (70%), Graciano (13%) and the local Maturana (17%) grape. The fruit is manually selected from 3 plots of fantastic 35-40 year-old vineyards, called Peña Escorpion and Palomares, which are located between Lapuebla and Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa. Following crushing and de-stemming, the must is fermented in stainless steel for 7 days and then enjoyed a further 10 more days of maceration. Malolactic Fermentation took place in large 500Ltr oak barrels (70% French, 15% American) and 15% Hungarian second-use 225Ltr barrels for 25 days, followed by 17 months of ageing in those same 500L and 225L oak barrels with periodic racking. This vintage of Selección combines elegance and power due to its aromatic intensity, with a lot of ageing potential, sage, thyme, rosemary, peppers, freshness, good acidity and time to age.
