2019 Rioja Gran Reserva, Bodegas Ondarre
Rioja, Spain
The Velvet Hour in Rioja
Bodegas Ondarre makes exceptional value Rioja – it amazes us every time we drink their wines, how they can make wines of quality for these prices!
This is Rioja with its jacket off, fire lit and stories ready. Warm, generous and beautifully mellow, it opens with red cherry, baked plum and dried fig, then drifts into vanilla, cedar, tobacco, leather and sweet spice. There is that unmistakable Gran Reserva calm here, the sense of a wine that has had time to gather itself, soften its edges and settle into something quietly noble.
The palate is smooth, savoury and deeply comforting, with velvety tannins, gentle acidity and a long, warming finish. Think cherry compote, nutmeg, polished oak, old leather armchair and a little curl of smoke. It is classic Rioja in its most relaxed and rewarding form.
For when you want a proper fireside red with manners.
Pairs with roast lamb, slow-cooked beef, pork shoulder, mushroom stew, manchego, or anything involving paprika and patience.
If this wine were… a room, it would be a candlelit library in Logroño, all worn leather, polished wood and conversations that run late into the night.
Bodegas Ondarre was founded in 1985 in the historic town of Viana, in Rioja Oriental. The estate has built its reputation on expressive, traditional Rioja with a strong sense of place, drawing on old vines, high-altitude vineyards and the distinctive character of the surrounding hills. Its wines carry the warmth of the region, but also a lovely poise and polish, making Ondarre a quietly dependable name for classic Rioja lovers.
Whats in the bottle
Tempranillo 90%, Mazuelo 10%
Notable Awards
Gold Medal and 95pts at the International Wine Challenge