he 2008 is just the third release of this leftfield Rioja and arguably the finest to date. This time around, the Valenciso team (Luis Valentín, Carmen Enciso and Ana Ruiz) selected three small parcels of fruit from 75-year-old vineyards in the north of Haro, which were aged in a single 50-hectolitre concrete tank for five years. The wine was then rested for 40 months in low-toast Caucasian oak; the same barrels Valencisco use for their Rioja Blanco. It was bottled in 2018, hence the name '10 Years After'. Interestingly, the extended ageing in concrete results in no loss of colour and only seems to intensify the wine’s fruit purity and aromatic expression. Meanwhile the striking palate is both silky and savoury with a wonderful harmony of all components. It remains incredibly fresh and youthful with blackcurrant and pine-scented fruit and a deep core of iodine-like complexity and fine tannins to close. Something very, very special.
“As its name indicates, this small cuvée of 4,000 bottles is released ten years after the harvest. Made from just three top parcels, it's more structured and robust than the Valenciso Reserva, with slightly marked oak but the same freshness and vivacity. This will live for some time yet. 2019-28.”