2021 Challao, Rioja "Angelita de Challao"

Tempranillo (80%) spiller hovedrollen i denne fremragende Rioja, men støttes på traditionel vis af en række andre sorter som Garnacha, Garnacha Blanca, Graciano, Malvasía og Viura. Spontangæret med en lille del stilke og lagret i træfade i forskellig størrelse over 20 måneder inden tapningen, viser den sig lidt mørkere end 2020eren og en sand klassenæse: Kirsebær, krydderi, hyldebær, blåbær og lakrids findes i det intense og bærprægede udtryk med flot friskhed. Smagen kombinerer smidig og poleret mørk frugt med moden, kølig syrerygrad og knasende frisk tannin i et ganske fyldigt billede, inden den slutter i fornem balance og med syrens fokus. Et absolut best-buy i Rioja. (-2030+) ****

93+ points Robert Parker Wine Advocate: "The 2021 Angelita del Challao, the red village wine from Labastida, comes from the vineyards in the lower part of the village on deeper soils with more clay, and it still has a moderate 12.7% alcohol and great freshness (denoted by a pH of 3.4), balance and elegance. They have included one more vineyard in this cool year, a plot that was contributing to Challao before. All of the reds ferment with a portion of stems (the Tempranillo never more than 20%), all the plots separately and aged separately for one year, then they blend the wine and put it back in the barrels of different sizes and foudre to complete some 20 months. This is a nice blending exercise, with a little more volume and juiciness but still a mineral, serious, chalky mouthfeel. It's smoky and showy, with darker fruit than the rest of the reds. It's approximately 80% Tempranillo and the rest Garnacha, Mazuelo, Viura, Garnacha Blanca and other mixed varieties."