2021 Bodegas Exopto Rioja Horizonte de Exopto, Rioja

Grilled Mediterranean herbs and peppercorns with a hint of lard and smoke to the youthful black cherries and damsons. Medium to full body with firm lines of tannins that concentrate at the end, delivering a fine grip to the finish. A modern, fresh and refined Rioja.

92 points  jamessuckling.com

Exopto’s villages-level wine is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 10% Graciano drawn from a dozen old-vine plots entirely in the western Sonsierra zone (per Villar and Gil, 2019) in the lee of the Sierra Cantabria ranges. Previously based solely on Ábalos vines, from 2020 onwards, the wine includes fruit from the old vines of Los Pozos and El Sacramento in San Vicente, in addition to grapes (20% in 2021) from a vineyard in Baños de Ebro purchased in 2019. The lowest of these vineyards is 400 metres above sea level, rising to 500 metres in Los Pozos. Co-fermented naturally in cement vats, the wine undergoes a short maceration of one week before starting maturation in oak barriques. The wine finishes aging in large, neutral 600-litre barrels to lessen the already minimal oak impact. Reflecting its high-altitude origins, this is a darker, deeper and more structured Rioja than the Bozeto, notwithstanding the excellent vibrancy and freshness you get from the altitude and rocky, limestone soils. Super value, super wine.