Region: Rioja, Spain

Varietal: 100% Tempranillo

Tasting notes: Intense purple in color with powerful and elegant aromas of soft minerals, ink, fresh mint, mulling spice, wild herbs, toffee and cocoa. On the palate, this contains ripe tannins and complex flavors of black fruit, licorice, coffee and aromatic herbs. Long and persistent, this wine will age well for 15-20 years.

Producer: Founded in 1986 by Miguel Ángel de Gregorio in the hillside town of Briones, Finca Allende is located in an ancient 17th century manor, set in a medieval town square within the heart of Rioja Alta. Roughly translated as ‘further,’ Allende’s philosophy is to go further towards creating the perfect Rioja. The majority of vines are plowed with mules, grapes are hand-harvested, triple-selected and manually punched-down, before undergoing extensive underground aging in both barrel and bottle. Known for producing round wines with great body and structure, each bottle is hand-crafted by and contains the signature of Miguel Ángel de Gregorio. Considered to be Spain’s first terroirist, Miguel Ángel’s sincere dedication to natural farming and preserving the integrity of Rioja Alta, are why he is one of the region’s most celebrated winemakers and a mastermind when it comes to making world class estate-grown wines.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Situated in Briones, in the north-west end of La Rioja Alta, the Finca Allende vineyards are located on hills facing north, north-east and north-west that are caressed and enhanced by winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The singularities of its terroir, orientation, climate and the different continental, Mediterranean and Atlantic influences combine to enable the growth of a supreme grape that manifests its potential in most excellent fashion in Allende wine.