Producer | Bideona |
Country | Spain |
Region | Rioja |
Varietal | Tempranillo |
Vintage | 2023 |
Sku | 06129 |
Size | 750ml |
ABV | 13.50% |
Bideona's Mayela wine reinterprets Rioja Alavesa's cosechero ("grower") wine tradition to allow the character of Alavesa Tempranillo to shine through. Traditionally, grapes from multiple cosechero were tossed into a vat in whole clusters and left for Beaujolais-style carbonic maceration to create a juicy, fruit-forward wine. Then folks hopped into the vat and stomped on the grapes, drained the juice, loaded into bottles and jugs, and drunk as quickly as possible before the wine turned brown.
Bideona is bringing this tradition up to date in version 2.0. They continue to celebrate the cosechero - the faces of the six growers who supplied the grapes for this wine appear on the six different labels used. But winemaking is now a bit more careful, with grapes destemmed, crushed, and allowed to ferment dry with no carbonic sweetness. Aging is in steel and concrete - no oak at all.
This is mainly Tempranillo, although other grapes are planted here and there in these old mountain vineyards and end up in the blend as well. It's full of dark cherry and strawberry fruit with accents of wild violets, clove and something savory we'll call green tobacco leaf (No, we've never chewed on a green tobacco leaf. Bet you get the idea anyway!) The fleshy fruit is nicely balanced by a squirt of juicy red berry acidity and supported by chunky, fun, tannins. A great casual cookout red that packs in much more character and complexity than the modest price suggests!
For You If: You're looking for a red with crowd-pleasing fruit and an extra dollop of savory complexity; you've always wondered what Rioja would taste like if they didn't use so much wood or let the wines get so old.
Not For You If: You're after the flavor of oak or age - this is fresh, full of fruit, and done all in concrete and steel.
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