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.
89+pts View from the Cellar– 2014 vintage
The 2014 Viña Otano Rioja “Reserva” is composed of a blend of eighty-five percent tempranillo, ten percent graciano and five percent mazuelo. It was raised for eighteen months in a combination of both French and American oak barrels, with rackings every six months. The wine shows a bit of its French oak influence in its fine bouquet of raspberries, cloves, cigar smoke, a good base of soil, just a hint of meatiness and spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and already nicely silky on the attack, with a good core of fruit, moderate tannins and a long, tangy finish. This is fourteen percent octane, which has allowed the wine to absorb a bit more wood tannin that needs further resolution on the backend, but it has fine constituent components and with a few more years in the cellar, should be a lovely drink. I would not mind this wine at all raised entirely in older American casks, as texturally, it has a lovely old school style already and the cedary French wood seems somehow slightly inappropriate. But, that said, this is a well-made wine. 2022-2045+.
