Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019
An exclusive Rioja Reserva with ageing potential
Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019 impresses with its character and depth. Born in Rioja and crafted exclusively for Vinoselección, it is a blend of Tempranillo and Graciano from iconic high-altitude vineyards, with patient ageing that delivers balance, elegance, and a long finish.
Consumption features
Pairing
Enjoy Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019 paired with roast lamb, beef fillet with mushroom sauce, or a stew of beef cheeks, as its ripe fruit, silky tannins, and wood notes complement juicy meats very well.
Service
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
5% Graciano, 95% Tempranillo
Type of barrel
American and French oak barrels.
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Barrel aging time
24 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14
Making process
Winemaking
The elaboration is precise, characterised by a prolonged maceration of over 21 days at a controlled temperature between 26 and 28 ºC, which promotes a slow and balanced extraction of colour, structure, and fruit nuances. After this sustained contact with the skins, the fermentation occurs in a controlled manner, resulting in a wine with a serious and well-defined profile. The final product reflects careful and patient cellar work, designed to respect the personality of each variety and to craft a red wine with depth and harmony.
Aging
It is aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels, followed by another 24 months in bottle before release, a prolonged crianza that adds depth, balance, and that mature expression which characterises this Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019.
Vineyard
Description
Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019 originates from carefully selected grapes from two emblematic plots that provide depth and balance to the wine. La Pasada, over 30 years old and located at the boundary of cultivation in the Sierra de Yerga, at 800 metres altitude, has calcareous-sandy soils that enhance the expression of Tempranillo. The El Pozo estate, between La Rad and Hoyo Judío at 650 metres altitude, offers poor terrain, predominantly sandy with low clay content, along with river stones typical of Quel, a setting that reinforces the character of Graciano and completes the profile of the wine. The 2019 harvest was characterised by scarce rainfall and a dry final cycle, with warm days and cool nights, conditions that allowed slow ripening and grapes with excellent health and quality.
Age
The vines are over 30 years old.
Climate
The 2019 vintage of Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva benefited from a dry and highly contrasting climate, with very scarce rainfall from autumn 2018 through spring 2019. This was complemented by the high-altitude vineyards, situated between 650 and 800 metres, where warm days and cool nights in September and October promoted slow ripening and resulted in grapes of excellent health and quality.
Viticulture
Ontañón Edición Especial Reserva 2019 comes from two iconic high-altitude vineyards, with vines over 30 years old at La Pasada, on the edge of cultivation of the Sierra de Yerga, and from the El Pozo estate, in poor and stony calcareous soils of Quel. This viticulture is based on expressing the terroir and the natural balance of plots with different compositions, where the Tempranillo provides the main foundation and the small percentage of Graciano completes the wine's profile.
Tasting notes
View
With an intense depth of garnet red, brilliant and clear, displaying tawny highlights at the rim that reveal its lengthy ageing.
Nose
Powerful and highly defined nose, highlighting candied and glazed fruit such as apricots, accompanied by mineral and truffled notes that evoke its terroir. This is complemented by a subtle balsamic reminder provided by the small percentage of Graciano and a more complex layer of tobacco, smokey notes, clove, and pepper, finished with delicate hints of vanilla, coconut, and chocolate. An intense, elegant, and complex aromatic phase.
Mouth
Its palate is silky and perfectly balanced. The finish is luscious, with soft, enveloping, and meaty tannins that add volume and a very agreeable texture. Ripe fruit reappears clearly on the retronasal, complemented by high-quality wood that adds complexity and elegance. A reserve designed to enjoy its richness to the fullest, with a serious, expressive, and well-structured profile.
The winery
The fourth generation of the Pérez Cuevas family continues, day by day, the tradition of viticulture in Rioja Oriental. Gabriel Pérez inherited the vineyards from the lands of his ancestors on the outskirts of the town of Quel, on the high slopes of the Sierra de Yerga. When Gabriel took the reins in the early 70s, he began producing wine from those vineyards instead of selling his grapes as had been done until then. He was determined to create a wine that embodied the region of Quel, where his family had deep roots and where he knew wines of great quality were born. Since then, Ontañón has been committed to the vineyards of these unique terroirs. Over the years, Bodegas Ontañón has expanded its expertise to iconic denominations such as Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Navarra.