100% Tempranillo

"Superbly fruited and richly expressed, the gorgeous bouquet shows blackberry, spiced cherry, vanilla, cedary wood and game characters. It is concentrated and flavoursome on the palate, displaying terrific fruit purity together with attractive oak infusion, finishing persistent and silky. At its best: now to 2021" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2018

Garnet red colour in the glass, clean and bright with tears. On the nose, the wine displays medium intensity, frank with aromas of fresh black fruit, liquorice and sweet notes of ageing such as nutmeg, cinnamon and patisserie. In the mouth it is intense, medium acidity, integrated tannins and medium-bodied. The aftertaste recalls black fruit and woody aromas. Harmonious, balanced and ready to consume.

The 2015 harvest was one of the earliest in recent decades. The meteorological conditions enabled the plants to develop perfectly during the vegetative cycle. A cold winter with steady rain provided our vineyards with sufficient water resources for the whole year. The spring was cool which favoured good budding and good quality clusters to develop. A warm summer especially July which was the hottest on record in the Rioja. September and October brought steady rainfall which helped complete the physiological and phenolic development and the good health of the plants.

Ramón Bilbao Crianza is a safe bet, the secret lies in closely monitoring each plot throughout the cycle and harvesting each plot at the optimal moment. Another key process is the separate fermentation of each lot and the final assemblage of the wines prior to ageing and in each racking. Fermentation temperatures are controlled, up to 28-29ºC and racking is performed in a timely manner once it has been observed that the colour (anthocyanin and tannin) extraction has reached optimal levels.

Food Pairing: Best served between 16º C and 18º C. Perfect for white meats, medium-cured cheeses and tapas.