Medievo Tuerce Botas Crianza 2019

Medievo Tuerce Botas Crianza gets your attention with its appealing aromas of almonds and wild berries with toasty cedary notes. It has a powerful, complex and creamy textured palate with mature, ripe cherry, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. It is both savoury and elegant with well integrated tannins and a very long, fresh finish.

Medievo Tuerce Botas Crianza is one of the few Riojas made totally from the lovely Graciano grape and aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Graciano is one of the first grapes to flower and is often the last to mature.  It is therefore a difficult grape to grow as there is always risk of late frosts. This grape provides finesse in many Rioja Reservas and is not widely planted, so this is a relatively rare find. It is also a limited production at 4000 bottles per vintage.

2019 was an excellent vintage across La Rioja. Here is what the panel thought about this vintage:

“Savoury, wild herby nose. Refreshing palate of intense mulberry and blueberry fruit along with fennel seed, finishing on a mocha note. An interesting, unusual style.” Silver Medal; Decanter World Wine Awards 2020.

About Bodegas del Medievo

Established in 2001, Bodegas del Medievo is an exciting, innovative winery in Aldeanueva de Ebro 50km South of Logroño, just in Rioja Oriental. They have 200 hectares of vineyards which are situated on the fringes of Mount Yerga, 600 metres above sea level. This altitude provides optimal conditions for the cultivation of healthy grapes which provide great intensity of colour, producing modern, fruity wines that also capture the Rioja finesse.

Joseba and Santiago (viticulturist and winemaker respectively) set up this Bodega to produced high quality wines that offer great value. From their young wines like Almaraz through to this wine, their wines have the hallmark of quality throughout. In choosing this wine’s name, they called it Tuerce Botas which translates as Twisted Boots. They say that this recalls “those people who twist their boots to carve the paths we can all move along.”  It has amazing details of boot laces on the cap! together with an interestingly shaped bottle. It comes in wine boxes of 6 bottles that are designed to look like a suitcase!

Food match: Grilled meats (especially lamb); cheeses and patés.

A delicious, limited edition Crianza at a brilliant price; sells in Independent wine merchants at £16.99