Rioja’s Finca Martelo from Torre de Oña: ‘lively and young’ – WA
Rioja’s Finca Martelo from Torre de Oña: ‘lively and young’ – WA
Rioja’s Finca Martelo from Torre de Oña
‘lively and young’ – WA
Only produced in excellent years, Finca Martelo is one of the best modern Riojas on the market. From Torre de Oña, a tiny bodega in Rioja Alavesa, the spectacular 2016 vintage is made up of Tempranillo (94%) with small amounts of Mazuelo, Garnacha and Viura. This 95-point old-vine, high-altitude gem is a ‘textbook reserva’, says Decanter.
Finca Martelo is a great example of Rioja’s greatest gift to the wine world – the tradition of releasing mature wines to market. Aged for four years in neutral American and French oak barrels and four years in bottle, this wine is in a wonderful space. It’s super food friendly and will pair well with any meat or vegetable on the braai or roasted in the oven. Expect bright, spicy and floral notes, dark fruit, a silky palate and glossy, chalky tannins.
Since acquiring the property in 1995, La Rioja Alta’s aim with Torre de Oña was to craft terroir-driven wines from the Alavesa sub-region, close to the mountains. After a decade of in-depth soil study, they released a wine from a selection of their finest parcels called Finca Martelo.
‘La Rioja Alta has a long-standing reputation for producing some of the region’s best, most traditionally made wines, across the range,’ says Neal Martin. And with Alejandro López at the helm, one of Decanter’s ‘Top 10 Best Revelation Winemakers’, this is a boutique bodega to keep your eye on.
