Bodegas Exopto Rioja Vino Horizonte de Exopto 2018
Rated 93 Points, The Wine Advocate – "The Sonsierra red 2018 Horizonte de Exopto combines grapes from Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra and is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for one year. There is a lot of depth and nuance here: there is fruit, ripe without excess, spice, aromatic herbs and a touch of licorice and earth. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals great balance, powerful but elegant, quite classical and with all that it needs to develop nicely in bottle in this cooler year. 12,000 bottles were filled in November 2019."
If you love this winery’s delicious up front and fruit driven Tinto Rioja (on sale for just $11.97 see below to order!) then this wine is definitely for you! It is a step up for sure sourced from head pruned vines in the Rioja Alta. It’s 80% Tempranillo, (a much higher percentage than the Tinto), nicely supported by 10% Graciano and 10% Garnacha. Winemaking is different, with the Horizonte spending 12 months in used French oak barrels in various sizes, with most being larger formats as opposed to just six month in concrete or wood vats for the Tinto.
The result is a more serious, deeper, darker wine with lovely hints of sandalwood, spice and oak to go with its deep dark fruit core. It also typically sells online in the low $20’s, but we were able to score just a dozen cases at a tremendously reduced price, which we are happy to pass on to you while it lasts! Just $16.99 per bottle, $15.99 for six or more. Cheers! Chris Cree MW
$16.99
Description
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja
Grapes: Tempranillo 80%, Graciano 10%, Garnacha 10%
Farming: Practicing organic
Terroir: All the fruit comes from the Rioja alta zone near the village of Abalos at the foot hills of the Sierra Cantabria. High elevation calcarious clay soil
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in concrete vats. 12 months in used French oak barrels in various sizes with most being larger formats.
Notes: Inky ruby. Spicy cherry and blackberry aromas are complicated by smoked meat and baking spices. Lush black and blue fruit flavors are supple, nicely focused and pure, with silky tannins adding support. Finishes with impressive mineral lift and persistence. Strikes a near ideal balance of depth and finesse
Rated 93 Points: The Wine Advocate
“The Sonsierra red 2018 Horizonte de Exopto combines grapes from Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra and is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for one year. There is a lot of depth and nuance here: there is fruit, ripe without excess, spice, aromatic herbs and a touch of licorice and earth. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals great balance, powerful but elegant, quite classical and with all that it needs to develop nicely in bottle in this cooler year. 12,000 bottles were filled in November 2019.”
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