Gomez Cruzado Rioja 'Predilecto' 2022
"The new young red 2022 El Predilecto recovers Predilecto, which was a historic brand of the house, a wine with less aging than the rest and more fruity character. In this case, they want it to show the fruit expression of the vineyard without oak. They call it the new old concept in Rioja, what the wines used to be before the arrival of the French, pure fruit. It's a blend of 65% Garnacha from Cárdenas and Cordovín and 35% Tempranillo from Samaniego that fermented destemmed but uncrushed (so not exactly a carbonic maceration) with clean and fresh aromas and flavors. It's ripe and hedonistic, with 14.5% alcohol and good freshness. It matured in concrete for five months." 92 pts Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocate.
I thought this to be delicious, fruit forward, plush but not big or brash. Fruit purity to the fore and lovely now, though of course will age. Lovely to see these new-old styles of Rioja making a comeback, its not just about oak. Its been hugely popular since we introduced it and on special offer until end of 2023
