Rioja - Exopto Tinto 2017

Wine Advocate - 92

This year, the eponymous red 2017 Exopto is an unusual blend of 60% Graciano, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha to lower the pH and provide freshness, from a challenging and Mediterranean vintage when the blend reached 14.5% alcohol while keeping good freshness. It fermented in 225-liter oak barrels, where it also matured, but he lowered the new oak to 30%, and 75% of the volume matured in 500-liter oak barrels. I still notice some effect of the élevage in the nose and in the texture of the wine, which displays ripe fruit and some dusty tannins. 2,500 bottles were filled in April 2019.