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Inexpensive
Import
Red Wines
About This Wine
For more than 70 years, the Ilurce estate has been making fine Spanish wines.
It’s a family operation, and the family’s winemaking tradition dates back to 1940 when Amador Escudero Perez bought a winery in Alfaro that remains in operation to this day — now owned and managed by his grandchildren.
“The doors of our winery are open to anyone who wants to feel the wine,” a family spokesperson says. But if you can’t make it to Spain’s Rioja region anytime soon, this bottling of Graciano — dubbed “Rio Madre” — is the next-best thing. Graciano often is included in fine Rioja blends that also embody Carignan and Tempranillo. But it also makes a wonderful varietal wine.
Its vines typically produce very low yields, which means the grapes are extremely concentrated — and that translates to assertive aromas and flavors in the finished wines. This may be the first Graciano you’ve ever tasted, but we bet it won’t be your last.
About Graciano
More About GracianoTasting Notes
Download/Print- Grape Composition:100% Graciano
- Grape Source:Rioja Growing Region of Spain
- Aromas & Flavors:Cranberry, Red Berries, Leather and White Pepper
- Aging Vessels:Assorted Oak Barrels
- When to Drink:Now Through 2014
- Food Pairing Suggestiona pepper steak, or Tex-Mex fare.
Expert Ratings
(80% garnacha and 20% graciano): Dark pink. Pungent aromas of red berry preserves, herbs and cinnamon, with touches of blood orange and anise. Pliant raspberry and bitter cherry flavors pick up a spicy quality in the middle palate, along with a hint of bitter citrus pith. Acts more like a light red than a pink wine, finishing with very good thrust and lingering spiciness. An outstanding value.
