Cherry red in colour with a ruby rim; red fruit overtones present in the nose, it is smoky with hints of liquorice.
In the mouth, it is clean, tasty, fresh and balanced. It has a lengthy finish, both fruity and spicy.
Warmly spicy nose, with hints of red fruits.
On the palate the wine shows smooth mouthfeel, spicy toasty and vanilla notes, ripe plummy fruit and a long, elegant finish.
To qualify as a ‘Crianza’ red Rioja must by law be aged for a minimum of 12 months in oak and 6 in bottle before being released for sale.
This wine, produced from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes, is aged for at least twelve months in medium-toast American oak barrels before being transferred to bottle.
The style of this wine is quite traditional in that it is smooth and elegant and not too full-bodied.
Bodegas Franco-Espanolas was founded in 1890 at a time when French winemakers were moving to Spain to escape the scourge of phylloxera which was devastating their vineyards.
Originally a collaboration between Fréderic Anglade Saunat from France and various Spanish partners, the winery has consistently produced high quality wines over the past 125 years.
Now under the ownership of the Eguizabal family, there are lots of new projects underway to keep the winery evolving in line with modern requirements, without losing its links with history and tradition.
The wines from this producer really do offer fantastic quality for price; we highly recommend them.
The vanilla flavours of the oak provide a perfect foil for the warm plum and cherry fruit of the wine, resulting in lovely balance. A very tasty morsel!
Food Pairing : Pair with white meats such as chicken – roasted or casseroled; roast beef; vegetable lasagne; manchego cheese (or similar).