Producer As always, the Reserva is hand-picked Tempranillo from the clay/limestone soils around Haro. The grapes came from 18 plots, including Villalba, Rodezno, Briones and Ollauri, all managed under strict culture raisonnee guidelines and cropped at well below the regional limits--the youngest vines that make the grade are 60 years old! The Reserva was naturally fermented in cement vats and aged for 19 months in mostly low-toast French oak barriques, roughly one-third new (in recent vintages 10% of the wine has been raised in low-toast Caucasus oak, further lessening the already minimal oak impact). Following aging in barrel, the wine was transferred back to concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find their wine clarifies so well in concrete, there is no need to fine or filter before bottling. Tasting Note "Valenciso's all-Tempranillo Reserva is drawn from 18 parcels on clay-limestone soils, all within a ten-kilometre radius of the winery in Ollauri. Showing the freshness, balance and precision that's a feature of the bodega's style, this is graceful, spicy and beautifully nuanced." 95 points, Tim Atkin, 2019 Rioja Special Report
