Altos R Pigeage Tempranillo 2017

Winemaker Jean-Marc Sauboua may have perfected his craft at Bordeaux’s famed Château Haut Brion, but he has Rioja in his blood (it is his mother’s homeland, after all).

This red is special to Jean-Marc, so he sought out grapes from a plot of 80-year-old Tempranillo and Graciano vines in the premium district of Rioja Alavesa. These miserly old vines yield tiny grapes that deliver a sweet, pure intensity. To showcase all that flavor character and draw out deep color with velvety texture, Jean-Marc employed the pigeage technique in the cellar (a traditional Burgundian method of fermenting in open vats and gently plunging skins, repeatedly). After treating the wine to a luxurious 28 months in French oak barrels, the quality-obsessed Jean-Marc was happy and he released this gem to unbelievable acclaim.

We’ve counted seven gold medals so far—three of them being ‘Great Gold’—plus, high ratings of 97 points (Catavinum World Wine & Spirits Competition) and 95 points (critic James Suckling). Suckling raved: “[It’s] full-bodied and powerful…A rich, layered wine for the vintage.”

With acclaim like this, we can’t promise that our limited stocks will last. You know what you need to do.