Ask Andy about this wine

Spain / Aragon

Valenciso’s approach is to make wines that are eminently drinkable and show the qualities of classic Rioja. Their secret weapon however is their texture. This allows what is a powerful, full bodied style of wine to remain refreshing and have very bright, attractive flavours.

The vineyards are planted in 100% calcareous clay soil, this brings freshness and acidity to the wine because the soil can remain cool and lengthen the ripening process. Another technique to achieve freshness in their red wines is the use of concrete tanks for fermentation. Concrete is porous and has thousands of small pockets where air gets trapped. This allows for a very gentle micro oxidation, similar to oak, but without imparting any flavours from barrels. Of course, with this being Rioja, oak has a very important influence in the final wine but the use of concrete balances the savoury flavours of oak by providing fantastic freshness. Unusually they favour Russian oak, with its tight grain and this allows for a gentle ageing process, keeping purity and vibrancy in the wine. Valenciso’s style is definitely in the ‘Atlantic’ rather than ‘Mediterranean’ style. This means that they have a fresh, floral and elegant style rather than one of power, tannin and structure.