90 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The first non-DO bottling of the entry-level red is the 2014 Tempranillo, a varietal wine from a number of plots, many of them previously used for Viñas de Gaín (as Viñas de Gaín gets grapes that were previously used for Pagos Viejos). They use the younger vines for this label and also grapes from plots that do not have enough character to be included in other cuvées. As with all of the reds, the grapes are destemmed and in this case fermented in stainless steel and matured in well-seasoned barriques for one year. This is very clean and straightforward, without any excess and perfectly integrated oak, with more red than black fruit. The palate is very round and polished, with good acidity and a fine texture, terribly drinkable and recognizable as Rioja. Some 75,000 bottles produced; they are reducing quantities in this wine as they are getting rid of some of these vineyards to focus on the better ones.