Cornelio Selección Crianza

Cornelio Dinastía: At last, we have some (relatively) wintry weather, so let’s celebrate with winter wine.

FTR Wine Cornelio Rioja TempranilloWe are back in La Rioja, the land of Tempranillo, a versatile grape that thrives with ageing in oak barrels, and that give La Rioja its fame in bold, full-bodied wines.

The wine areas of La Rioja are divided into three sub-regions, each imparts a different fingerprint on its Tempranillo:

Tempranillo from Rioja Alta tends to produce wines with elegance, finesse, and a balanced profile. The cooler climate and higher elevation contribute to wines with bright acidity, red fruit flavours, and a potential for extended aging. The tannins are typically refined, and the wines often display complexity and subtle nuances.

Rioja Alavesa is known for wines with structure, depth, and aromatic intensity. The combination of diverse soils and a climate influenced by both the Atlantic and Mediterranean results in wines with firm tannins, dark fruit flavours, and a good aging potential.

In Rioja Oriental, with its warmer and more Mediterranean climate, Tempranillo tends to produce wines that are bold, full-bodied, and have ripe fruit characteristics. The grapes reach higher levels of ripeness, leading to wines with more pronounced alcohol content, darker fruit flavours, and a lush, generous profile. The tannins can be softer compared to the other sub-regions.

Cornelio Dinastía is in Navarrete, which belongs to Rioja Alta, but have vineyards across the region. The award winning Cornelio Selección Crianza is a blend of Tempranillo from several old vineyards of at least 50 years, planted at 500 meters, with Atlantic influence.

The wine is aged for 12 months in American-oak barrels, then the aging continues in the bottle. We were presented with the 2018 vintage.

The wine has an intense cherry with a garnet rim, clean, bright, and deceptively clear. On the nose ripe red and black fruit, notes of chocolate, spices, herbaceous touches and fine toasted wood. In the mouth round, silky and smooth, very balanced with lasting fruit taste.

This is an elegant understated balanced wine, where the acidity and tannins are well integrated with the fruit from the grapes, and spice and vanilla from the oak barrels.

We served it at 18oC with casseroles: meat, vegetable and brown lentils

90-92 Bruja points.

EUR 13-15.50 from https://codipral.com/ or https://wineluck.com/

(News/Noticias: La Rioja, Castilla-León)

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