Torre de Oña Finca Martelo Rioja Reserva 2016

The grapes come from the eponymous vineyard in Torre de Oña, in the heart of Rioja Alavesa, with a natural diversity of varieties: Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Garnacha and some Viura. The vineyard is over 60 years old and lies at 630 metres elevation, with north to south orientation, which offers the vines excellent exposure to the sun. Ventilating winds help to keep the vines healthy and achieve excellent, even ripening with balancing acidity. La Rioja Alta is committed to protecting the environment; in the vineyard treatments are limited, they invest in clean energy sources and reuse water. Shelters have been installed in some of the vineyards for certain insects and arachnids that are beneficial for viticulture, thus promoting environmentally-friendly plant health defence and increasing the biodiversity in the vineyards.

The grapes were harvested by hand in 20 kg boxes and placed in refrigerated platforms in the cellar. Once destemmed and crushed, the fruit was cold soaked for seven days at a temperature below 10 C to obtain a must with more intense aromas and colour. Once the alcoholic fermentation was completed, the wine spent 98 days in American and new French oak barrels undergoing malolactic conversion with weekly bâtonnage. It was later aged for 24 months in American (80%) and French (20%) oak barrels and racked four times using traditional methods. The wine spent six months in tanks to round off the final blend.