Ysios Lagunazuri 2018

The second of our two 2018 Best in Show Rioja wines is a pure Tempranillo. It’s dark black-red in colour; indeed it’s almost opaque at its core. This admirably scented wine is deep and brooding at this stage, both earthy and perfumed; the fruits are still covered by the puppy fat of youth, yet it’s a measure of their depth and profundity that there are no evidently oaky notes, despite the wine’s relative youth. On the palate, the wine is deep, dense, earthy and structured, with ample yet softly textured tannins darkening the black Tempranillo fruits still further. This generously structured yet sensually alluring Rioja has the capacity to age for a further ten years.

Finca Lagunazari is a one-hectare parcel in Laguardia that was planted in 1930 at 575 metres. It's a small volume, hands on wine that has chalky freshness and intensity, sappy tannins, appealing focus and precision and layers of aromatic spices and succulent summer pudding fruit. 2023-30

Full-bodied, chewy red with mocha, sweet tobacco, dark plums and praline on the nose. Chewy, dense tannins here accompanying a dense core of dark fruit. Bold, toasty and grippy. Should soften in a couple of years. Try in 2025.