Javier San Pedro, who comes from a family with a long winegrowing tradition, is introducing us to his personal winery in Rioja Alavesa through the red Vallobera Graciano 2018. It’s the second vintage of a highly elegant wine that’s been aged for 18 months in French oak barrels and is one of the best expressions of this legendary grape variety native to Rioja.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Graciano
Type of barrel
New French barrels with different levels of toast.
Type of bottle
Burgundy
Barrel aging time
18 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Bottling
02/2022
Total acidity (g/l)
5.78
Volatile acidity (g/l)
0.54
Sugar
2.2
pH
3.41
Alcohol content (% vol.)
14.5
General Information
The surname San Pedro has been linked to viticulture in Rioja Alavesa for at least four generations. The family is well acquainted with and masterfully cultivates the best vineyards in one of the most coveted winegrowing areas, where Javier San Pedro sowed the seeds of his own winery, Bodegas Vallobera, in 1992.
Thirty-three years on, Vallobera is synonymous with high quality thanks to its superb work in the vineyard. Ninety-five hectares of vines with an average age of 40 years are the assets of a winery that can boast of its outstanding raw materials which produce wines like the one we’re offering you now, Vallobera Graciano 2018.
There are nearly 865 hectares of Graciano vines in the D.O.Ca. Rioja but only a handful of single-varietal reds made from this variety, which is a minority ingredient in a good many great Rioja wines. One of the few wines made solely from it is this Vallobera Graciano 2018, one of its best ambassadors. Aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels with different levels of toasting, this red is absolutely superb. Flavours from the wood are perfectly integrated in a wine that’s packed with personality, maturity and elegance. A mouth-coating red that will enable you to enjoy a variety that’s regaining importance and prestige in equal measures.
Tasting notes
Garnet-red with a ruby-red rim, very deep pigmentation.
Intense, clean nose with notable mineral aromas together with hints of black fruits, floral notes and touches of spice and liquorice.
Very good balance, full, flavoursome and fresh with elegant tannins. Pleasant, mouth-filling and smooth on mid-palate and a long, lingering finish.
Creators' opinion
Vallobera Graciano 2018 es un vino de color rojo picota con intensidad cromática. En nariz es potente aromáticamente, predominando los frutos del bosque maduros y apareciendo notas florales. En boca tiene una entrada potente, pero con un paso suave, marcado por un tanino amable y sedoso.