Heredad De Baroja: A Post Halloween Treat
After treating the tricksters, mom and dad deserve a treat too! To be sold as a Reserva classification, a Rioja wine from Spain must be aged in barrels for at least 3 years. Here we have an adult treat with 8 years of aging. No seniors’ stigma! It’s more like a baby boomer defying a numeric age designation by proving youthful spunk wrapped in dignified style. One hundred percent Tempranillo grape, the ageing takes place in American oak which is favoured for its softening influence combined with mandatory hints of vanilla that show up on the nose. At one of the highest points in the Rioja Alavesa region, in the Village of Elvillar de Álava, the Meruelo family created Bodegas Heredad de Baroja in 1964. The winery itself was built with a single purpose in mind: turning top-quality Tempranillo grapes into classic expressions of elegant Rioja wine. Sourced from vineyards more than 600 meters above sea-level, on a base of clay and limestone soils, the grapes reach a perfect balance of ripeness and acidity due to dramatic temperature differences between night and day of 20 degrees Celsius, or more, during the grape ripening period. James Suckling awarded this wine 93 points. A feast for the senses, it is delicious and then peaks with a fruity, juicy exhibition of red berries, spice and vanilla. Mature and refined, it is drinking well now but will also keep on providing pleasure from the present through to 2026 and beyond. Pair with grilled chorizo sausage on a bed of saffron rice.