All grapes were hand harvested into small baskets for transport to the winery. The detemmed grapes were fermented and macerated with skins for 30 days with twice a day pump-overs that last approximately one hour per tank. Following malolactic fermenetation in stainless steel tanks, the wine was aged for 24 months in French and American oak barrels with racking every 6 months. Aged a further 30 months in bottle before release.
91pts Washington Wine Blog– 2015 vintage
The 2015 ‘Reserva’ Rioja by Vina Otano has a touch of Manzuelo and Graciano blended in, as this was aged for eighteen months in oak before bottling. The lovely freshness, weight and sense of salinity entices as bright red fruits dance with citrus rind and damp earth tones on the palate. Every bit outstanding at this stage, the 2015 Vina Otano ‘Reserva’ Rioja will enjoy another decade or more of life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2030.
90pts View from the Cellar – 2015 vintage
The 2015 Rioja Reserva from Viña Otano is composed of eighty percent-five Tempranillo, ten percent Graciano and five percent Mazuelo. It spends eighteen months in barrel, in a mix of both French and American oak. The 2015 Reserva offers up an aromatic constellation of black cherries, cigar ash, some spiced meats, a nice touch of soil, gentle oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is ripe, full-bodied and focused, with a lovely core, good soil signature and a long, suavely tannic and complex finish. This comes in listed at 14.5 percent octane and has a bit of backend warmth, but in all other respects, it is a very good bottle of Rioja. 2020-2045.
