Graciano is an odd little beast, there are about 55 different names for it in Spain, and due to it’s natural low cropping and high acid character it has always been a bit player that’s blended with Tempranillo. Researchers at UC Davis believe that it is genetically very similar to Monastrell (or vice versa), but this doesn’t look like monastrell to me. So when the chance to have a look at straight a Graciano from Rioja came up I jump on it. This wine is made from very old vine material right up north in Rioja Alvesa, its fermented and then aged in spanking new french oak for 18 months.

The aromas jump out of the glass here: some stewed fruit, plums, dark cherry and blueberry with some creamy mocha coffee, spice, toasty oak and old tobacco pipe. Powerfully structured and modern in style, it shows fine grained fruit tannins with plenty of acid. More dark fruits on the palate, mainly plum and dark cherry with some game notes and pepper. Its quite perfumed and exotic, intriguing. Its a hard one to score or give any idea on aging, but it looks like its build for the long hall. 93 Pts.