Bacchus de Oro for Tarón Reserva 2017

Tarón Reserva 2017 has won a Bacchus Gold Medal at the XXII Bacchus International Wine Competition held between 15 and 19 April in Madrid. The award-winning wines were chosen in a strict blind tasting by a panel of 103 national and international expert tasters, specialised journalists, sommeliers, oenologists, Masters of Wine and Masters of Sommelier. Professionalism, independence and experience to evaluate and recognise the excellence of Tarón Reserva 2017.

In this new edition of the largest international wine competition held in Spain, 1,985 references from 18 nationalities have been presented. Bacchus is the only international wine competition of national scope that belongs to VINOFED, the federation that integrates the most reputable competitions worldwide.

Tarón Reserva 2017 is the fruit of vines over 50 years old spread over the four villages that make up Territorio Tarón: Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón, Sajazarra, Tirgo and Villaseca. This wine expresses the essence of this area of Rioja Alta and the wisdom of several generations of winegrowers who make up the cooperative.

The vineyards are harvested by hand, with yields of around 5,000 kg per hectare of production, in which an exhaustive ripening control is carried out. In this way, the optimum harvest time is sought to allow the wine to express its great potential and ageing capacity.

Made from a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo, the grapes are harvested by hand in small crates. The grapes are carefully taken to the winery and the grapes or parts of the cluster that do not give the right profile are removed on a sorting table.

In its production, priority is given to respecting the fruit as much as possible. It is cold macerated for the first 2-3 days and during fermentation it is pumped over daily. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked and rests for a winter before being transferred to new American oak barrels. It remains there for 24 months in a semi-buried cellar with constant temperature and humidity throughout the year. After this time, the wine will spend another winter in a stainless steel tank to finish cleaning naturally, avoiding subsequent treatments that detract from its organoleptic characteristics. When it is ready, it will be bottled and will rest in a bottle at a controlled temperature and humidity for at least 18 months before being released onto the market.

Its ruby red colour stands out. It is clean and bright, with a medium-high robe. It has a pleasant nose, full of surprises: dried plums, hints of tobacco, elegant aromas of liquorice, spices and menthol notes with a slight mineral touch. In the mouth it expresses an elegant, ripe, tasty, fine and silky tannin, with a good acidity that balances the palate.