2008 Vendimia, Rioja, Palacios Remondo

A superb New-Style Rioja made by the magician Alvaro Palacios; with far more Garnacha than one may expect (50/50 Garnacha and Tempranillo) the wine is made by whole-bunch fermentation and is aged only briefly in oak barrels. If he believed in such things, Alvaro would describe it as a 'Joven'; the emphasis is certainly on the exuberant, with soft hedge-row flavours, and gentle spice to the fore. With Mediterranean charm, and a certain come-hither, forward, approach to life, this is a distinctly superior every-day drinker.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)