2015 Finca Martelo, Rioja

“Without a doubt, 2015 is one of the best vintages ever for us in Rioja”

Julio Sáenz, Head Winemaker
2015 is a spiritual successor to the legendary 2010 and 2005 for La Rioja Alta. A vintage so exceptional that produced all of their Reservas and Gran Reservas - a rare occurrence. The first of the top releases from this vintage is none other than Finca Martelo. This is only the third ever vintage for this wine, and it is easily the best to date. For the first time, we are also delighted to offer a very limited supply of magnums!

Finca Martelo is a site-specific wine, first produced in 2012 as an innovative ‘château concept’ from high-altitude plots surrounding the winery, before the new rules for Viñedos Singulares. Head winemaker Julio Saenz refers to it as “our little Burgundy” because of how closely it represents this unique location. In fact, the wine itself is a field blend, 95% Tempranillo with 5% other varieties including Mazuelo, Garnacha, and even Viura. The chalk soils and 80-year-old vines at Torre de Oña produce a fuller, riper style of Rioja, while the high altitude and Atlantic influence in Rioja Alavesa keeps the wine fresh and elegant. This style is complemented by the use of 20% French oak and shorter maturation, alongside La Rioja Alta’s ultra-traditional methods such as racking by hand.
2015 was extra-special for La Rioja Alta as it was also the first vintage which saw the use of optical sorting machines, which use lasers to individually assess hundreds of berries a second, discarding those that do not meet the winemaker’s strict quality standards. Head winemaker Julio Sáenz has said that the impact on quality is quite incredible, and credits this innovation as one of the most important advances at La Rioja Alta in recent years.