Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva Rioja 2015

Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva Rioja

The Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva Rioja has a wide range of delicate red fruit accompanied by smoky nuances and hints of vanilla from the new American oak. On the palate, the wine is velvety and round, with smooth tannins and good acidity from the Tempranillo. The finish is soft, balanced and long lasting.

Grapes for the two Coto de Imaz wines are picked exclusively from El Coto's estate in Cenicero in Rioja Alta, where the soils are limestone and clay.

The 2012 vintage was marked by drought, which had an effect on both grape volume and grape quality in some places, but also resulted in a significant quantity of very high quality wine. Rains in late September had a positive effect on ripening and harvested grapes were well balanced and healthy. The Rioja Control Board rated the 2012 vintage ‘Very Good’.

Vinification

Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were sorted, destemmed and crushed. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 22-27°C and lasted for around 30 days.

After malolactic fermentation in tank, the wines were transferred to new, 225-litre American oak barrels where they were aged for 18 months before the final blend was assembled and bottled. After this, the wine was aged for a further 24 months in bottle before release.

Producer

El Coto was founded in 1970 in Rioja Alavesa and has grown from modest beginnings into one of the best known Rioja producers. Today El Coto has over 700 hectares of vineyard in production across the three Rioja DOC a sub-zones of Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental.

They also source grapes from all three areas, but mostly from Rioja Alavesa. Head winemaker César Fernandez oversees production, starting with hand picking into 350 kilogram crates to ensure the grapes arrive at the winery in pristine condition.

Modern and intelligently designed, the emphasis in the winery is on temperature control and gentle handling of the grapes.

Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva Rioja - Hay Wines