deAlto, Tradicional, Rioja Crianza, DOCa Rioja Spain, 2019

Producer Profile

deAlto Rioja y Más pays tribute to our long-standing love for all things Spanish: the food, the people, and of course the wine…

Master of Wine Giles Cooke, has led our winemaking team to craft a range that illustrates the brilliant potential of Rioja, Navarra and La Mancha as well as the quality of fruit that these regions can deliver when respectful, sustainable techniques are maintained. Drawing on the revered, in-depth knowledge of Paul Shinnie and the technical skills of Marta Juega Rivera, these wines offer a tantalising taste of contemporary Spain. Over a decade’s worth of dedication, travel and experimentation have culminated in the creation of deAlto Rioja y Más, which joins the family of Alliance-owned wineries, Thistledown Wines in Australia and Terres Fidèles in France. Responding to the need for a more sustainable future, our wineries harness the best vineyards to produce wines that are connected by a similar spirit of adventure, experimentation, creativity and commitment to sustainable wine production.

Viticulture

The deAlto Rioja y Más portfolio is an incredible patchwork of vineyards, villages and micro-climates from around Spain. We have unpicked some of those traditional tapestries of culture, geography, commerce and climate, and have instead pursued a contemporary route to crafting wines of elegance and energy. Wines that faithfully narrate their individual places and vineyard plots, not the barrel or the winery.

Winemaking

The grapes are transported to the winery and gently de-stemmed with the rollers on the crusher adjusted to give more extraction of the grape skins and seeds without over extraction. Each lot is assessed on its berry sizes and the machinery adjusted to suit. The grapes are then sent to 25 tonne temperature controlled fermentation tanks and the grapes are given a 5 day cold soak which aids colour and fruit extraction prior to alcoholic fermentation. Once fermenting, the wine is pumped over its skins, with each of the fermentations carefully controlled to maximise the extraction of soft tannins as well as enhance the fruit characters of each vineyard. Once alcoholic fermentation is complete, the wines are left to macerate on the skins for up to 5 days to help soften tannins and integrate flavours. The wines are then gently drained and pressed with the press components kept separate by taste, to be blended back later on if desired.

Oak Ageing

Time: 12 months
Type: French and American
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 15

Tasting Note

Aromatic and intense, lovely aromas of wild red berries, blossom, nutmeg and hints of sandalwood. Fresh, fruity and well balanced with sensations of raspberries, vanilla and cinnamon. A wine with great purity and depth of fruit, gently caressed by oak but never smothered. Textural, well balanced and a great expression of Rioja.

Food Matching

Perfect accompaniment to chargrilled meat, cured ham and tapas.