Miguel Merino Gran Reserva 2000

Producer

Miguel Merino is based in the historic town of Briones in the Rioja Alta, Spain. Whilst the vineyards surrounding the town have been producing high quality grapes for hundreds of years, the grapes were usually sold to prominent wineries in nearby Haro.

The vines for the Gran Reserva are planted on low yielding calcareous slopes. They use two separate parcels of vines whose average age are 36 and 54 respectively. The grapes are hand-picked, with the Gran Reserva being made with only the best fruit from the best years. The wine is matured for 30 months in new oak* before being bottled and aged for a further 5 years in their cellars.

*For the wood geeks among us, around two thirds of the barrels are French from the Tronçais Forest (Allier), and the rest is American oak.

Tasting Note

Root Day

The Miguel Merino Gran Reserva 2000 has a warm and comforting nose. It shows a lot of spices, particularly vanilla and cloves, but this is followed by notes of redcurrant and raspberries. The palate has lots of freshness, and this acidity is balanced by the intensity of the fruit. This wine has clearly seen a lot of oak, but with nearly nine years ageing in bottle it has integrated beautifully, and after an hour or so in a decanter this wine really shows its full potential. A great Rioja from a small producer which still shows so much life after 11 years. Definitely one to hold onto for at least another 5 years.

May 2011