O. Rivière Losares

The 2019 Losares was produced with the grapes from a plot of old vines in the village of Navaridas. The blend of 90% Tempranillo and some 10% other grapes, Garnacha, Graciano, Viura, Calagraño . . . fermented with 20% full clusters and matured in 500-liter barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 26 months in 1,000-liter oak foudre. It has 14% alcohol with mellow acidity, and it's expressive, a little more floral than other vintages, with the Tempranillo dominating the blend, still a bit young and with a very lively palate with vibrant acidity and very fine tannins, elegant and balanced, with all the necessary ingredients for a nice development in bottle. The tannins of the 2019s feel very fine and chalky, Rivière told me he was able to pick each vineyard at the right time, while in the past he sometimes harvested a little early, and from 2019, he's been waiting a little more for the tannins and doing less extraction and less foot treading. 1,300 bottles were filled in February 2022.