Akutain - Rioja Alta Gran Reserva Rosado 2016 (750ml)
Price: $104.99
| Producer | Akutain |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Varietal | Tempranillo |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Sku | 65925 |
| Size | 750ml |
 |
Wine Advocate: 92 Points
The 2016 Rosado Gran Reserva is the only Gran Reserva rosé other than the one from López de Heredia-Viña Tondonia. It is only the second vintage of this wine, and the next one will be the 2020. It's a complex and elegant rosé that transcends the category. It's produced with Tempranillo from a specific vineyard, the one at higher altitude (650 meters), planted in 1986 on a north-facing, 2.48-hectare plot by the Gembres Rocks that delivered a wine with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.32. They bleed some 500 liters of wine from the tank before it gets too dark and ferment it in a small 600-liter vat for seven days with indigenous yeasts and block malolactic fermentation; the wine is kept in tank throughout the winter, during which time it's racked twice to have it very clear before it goes into barrel. The élevage was in two barrels—one French and one American—where they had aged the 2015 Gran Reserva red, where the wine matured for 52 months. The wine was bottled without being fined, cold stabilized or filtered, just strained to avoid particles in the bottles. It has notes of red candied fruit, hard candy, nuts, spices, bread dough and cereals, with some development. The palate is polished and has a soft texture. I think this will age faster than the 2015. Only 600 bottles were filled in July 2021. -Luis Gutiérrez
