We invite you to get a sense of one of the most renowned wineries in Rioja with two fantastic vintages of one of their great wines: Ostatu Reserva 2018 and Ostatu Reserva 2019, red wines that embody family tradition and faithfully reflect the ‘terroir’.
Ostatu Reserva 2018 and Ostatu Reserva 2019 offer a fantastic opportunity to enjoy two very different vintages of the same wine, characterised by reflecting the traditional winemaking approach of the Sáenz de Samaniego family. Its crafted journey began in the early 1970s when, after centuries of viticultural tradition, the family estate was established. Its name, Ostatu, comes from Euskera and means ‘inn’ or ‘little shop’, as centuries ago the family residence was a guesthouse and a space for wine trade and exchange.
Ostatu Reserva 2018 and Ostatu Reserva 2019 originate from the 36 hectares of organic vineyard owned by the winery, divided into 50 microplots located in Samaniego, at different altitudes and orientations, sheltered by the Sierra de Cantabria. Both are made solely from Tempranillo grapes and have been aged 16 months in French oak barrels.
Ostatu Reserva 2018 has already received high praise from critics, including a score of 93 points from Tim Atkin. Meanwhile, Ostatu Reserva 2019 benefits from one of the best vintages of the 21st century in Rioja, 2019, rated as Excellent.
Serving temperature
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Tempranillo
Type of barrel
French Oak Barrels.
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Capacity (cl)
75
View
Ostatu Reserva 2018 stands out visually for its intense cherry red colour with a very good depth.
Ostatu Reserva 2019 displays a beautiful cherry red with a softly brick rim, luminous and bright.
Nose
Ostatu Reserva 2018 presents as complex and expressive, with aromas of seasoned red fruit, sweet spices, balsamic woods, and a pleasant background with notes of undergrowth and leaf litter.
Ostatu Reserva 2019 displays subtlety and elegance, with delicate spicy notes (vanilla and cinnamon), toasted and smoked echoes, giving way to hints of red jammy fruits, with a rounded balsamic finish of liquorice and background notes of Mediterranean underbrush.
Mouth
Ostatu Reserva 2018 is balanced, tasty, ripe and enveloping, with a fresh and gentle palate, featuring a finely integrated tannin. The finish is long and persistent.
Ostatu Reserva 2019 is rounded, balanced and tasty; noble and deep tannins provide an agreeable mouthfeel with good tactile sensations that add volume. Abundant ripe fruit notes merged with pleasant notes derived from ageing in oak. Complex and persistent finish, with spicy and fruity notes.
The Ostatu winery is located in one of the most emblematic villages of Rioja Alavesa, Samaniego, where the Sáenz family - the owners - have been dedicated to viticulture for several generations. Building on this heritage from their ancestors, the couple formed by Doroteo and Mª Asunción founded the current winery, annexed to an 18th-century manor house built as an inn. Since the year 2000, four of the six children of Doroteo and Mª Asunción (Gonzalo, Ernesto, Mariasun, and Iñigo) have taken over the management of the winery, whose philosophy is based on producing wines from their own vineyards and practicing sustainable viticulture.
Ostatu has more than 30 hectares of its own vineyard, divided into 50 plots. Most of the vineyards are set on highly rugged clay-limestone soils, arranged on slopes, and enjoy a microclimate that favors optimal ripening. Their range of wines is divided into Singular Wines, wines with a distinctive personality crafted from unique plots, such as Gloria de Ostatu or Laderas de Ostatu; and Sensible Wines, featuring young wines and oak-aged wines that follow the tradition of Rioja Alavesa.
