This is a new wine from La Rioja Alta’s sister property in Rioja, Torre de Oña. They bought the estate in 1995 with a view to doing something a bit different: making single-estate wines, which has not been the model for the region. This wine is a single plot selection, and it’s mainly old vine Tempranillo with some Mazuelo, Garnacha and Verdelho, and it’s made in a style that has some modernity, but also a traditional side (for example, it’s aged in predominantly American oak). I think it will age really well.

Torre de Oña Martelo Reserva 2012 Rioja, Spain
14% alcohol. Primarily Tempranillo with malolactic in barrel, where the wine stays for 2 years in a mix of French (20%) and American (80%) oak. Refined and supple, this is a wine that combines sweet berry and cherry fruits with some complex spice, earth and cedar notes, as well as a hint of tar. There’s a lovely concentration of fruit and just a twist of vanilla from the American oak, but this stays nicely in the background. This is a modern Rioja, but it’s not about bold, sweet fruit: instead, there’s a level of elegance and refinement here, and this wine will age into a beautiful mellow maturity over the course of the next decade. It has all the ingredients to become a polished, classic, mature Rioja. 94/100

UK agent is Armit

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