This wine is also available in France but since it is also in Finland, I stick to English.
Rioja is probably the best known wine region of Spain. The main grape you will find there is Tempranillo, a very acidic and fruity grape, which makes well ageing and well balanced wines. However, Rioja makes and excessive use of oak and as a result many wines are just dried out, destroyed by the excess of wood tannins, wood taste… Also, some other local grapes such as Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo are commonly forgotten. This is also a bit sad since they all have a strong personality that blend well with the somewhat too straightforward Tempranillo.
The Bodegas Remondo Palacios is managed since 2000 by Alvaro Palacios, who is one of the best winemakers of Spain. He is for instance the winemaker of l’Ermita from Priorato, one of the most exclusive wine of the country. In Rioja, they produce three wines, using all the local grapes with a very subtle use of oak. The top of these wines is Propiedad, Alko offers the 2007 vintage on the sale to order list.
Propiedad 2007 is a fantastic wine yet very delicate. The quality of the fruit and the balance of the different components are stunning. The nose is a perfect in-between a great Bordeaux wine and a great Rhône, meaning that there is a very clean and deep fruit alongside black pepper and spiciness. No excess of oak, no excess of ripeness. The mouth is incredibly balanced and has a very long finish. No doubt that this is one of the very best Rioja I tasted and one the very best Spanish wines you can find in Alko. This is still young and I think is will need 3 to 5 years to get more expressive. Right now the wine is still a bit discrete, not a bomb that you could maybe expect from a 30€ wine but it is truely delicious and among the best wines I tasted from the monopoly!
Wineops’ rating: 86/100 ; 5 ++
A very delicate and elegant wine. Still a bit withdrawn since very young but it will definitely be spectacular in a few years. Buy three of them: one for now, one in 2-3 years and one in 7-10 years.
Here is the link to Alko: Propiedad 2007 by Remondo Palacios
Propiedad 2007 by Remondo Palacios (Espana, Rioja)