Jose Luis Ripa Vino Rosado Rioja 2018

Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia's husband, José Luis Ripa Sáenz de Navarrete, has started making a stunning Rosado under his own label. If you had the opportunity to taste at the Lopez de Heredia's Rosado before, you know how complex and beautiful it is. José is emulating that style by aging his Rosado as well.

Pale salmon pink color with an orange hue. Aromas of cherry with nuances or red berries, dry flowers and Mediterranean herbs. Fine and elegant tannins, vibrant acidity, moderate alcohol and long finish, with notes of cassis in the aftertaste.

"Grenache and Tempranillo grapes from two 30+ year old, bush-pruned vineyards located in the Najerilla Valley, in the Rioja Alta district of the DOC Rioja, where soils are of calcareous clay type with a slightly higher ferric percentage than in the rest of the district.

The grapes were destemmed and taken to a stainless steel vat, where must was bled (saignée) for about 24 hours and racked. After that, the juice was taken to 500-liter French oak used barrels, where it fermented and stayed for another 18 months. The blending of the wines from the two different grapes was done just a few days before bottling and consisted of 85% Grenache and 15% Tempranillo.

My idea was to make a rosé with subtlety and sophistication in the nose and a firm structure and length in the mouth, more vinous than fruity." - Jose Luis