This is about as correct and as typical of a Rioja Reserva as you will try. It's brilliant, with lashings of black fruit density coupled with oak in equal measure. Unapologetically from Rioja, this is a wine that needs a good hour or two to open up but will reward patience with nothing short of a classic wine.

Abtole Winery is located in Spain's Rioja wine region and the team is renowned for its delicious and faithfully-styled range of wines. The winery benefits from the region's climate and soil, specialising in Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Mazuelo grapes for their reds, with a focus on Tempranillo Blanco for their whites. We discovered Abtole in early 2024 during a tasting of lots of different Riojas. What stood out for us here was that across the board, tasted blind, these wines exemplified Rioja the best. The range from top to bottom is excellent, from the 'Joven' young red to the 'Blanco' white Rioja, right through to the 'Reserva', these wines are undeniably Rioja and because of that, we love them for it. Careful and classical winemaking goes down in the cellar, with the use of predominantly American oak barrels - a hallmark of the region's terroir, as well as a focus on the purity of primary fruit character. You really can't go wrong with these wines.