80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha

Food pairings: Roast lamb, red meats and barbecues, big game, richly seasoned fish stews, or smoked and aged cheeses.

Scores:

• 95 points, James Suckling

Winemaking: The Tempranillo was picked by hand in late September and the Garnacha about 20 days later. After optical sorting, each variety fermented naturally in its own tanks. In April 2021 the finest lots went into American oak barrels, 20% of them new: the Tempranillo stayed 36 months with six hand rackings and the Garnacha 30 months with five. The final blend was bottled in November 2024.

Vineyards and terroir: The Tempranillo comes from vineyards in Rioja Alta, and the Garnacha from La Pedriza in Tudelilla, in Rioja Oriental, at 550 metres.

Family and history: La Rioja Alta, S.A. was founded in 1890 in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, the railway quarter that became the heart of classic Rioja. The house still raises its wines in American oak barrels made in its own cooperage and racks them by hand, from barrel to barrel, in the traditional way.

In the pictures: A La Rioja Alta, S.A. vineyard with a traditional stone shelter; and a hall at La Rioja Alta, S.A., where old wooden vat tops and winemaking tools are on display. Photographs courtesy of La Rioja Alta, S.A.