Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva 2015
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Sierra Cantabria Crianza is one of the flagship age-classified Rioja bottling produced by the Eguren family of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. While the family is most well known for their single cru classified bottlings, they produce outstanding ageing classified wines from their estate vineyards in San Vicente. While this category is dominated by blends of purchased fruit sourced from many growers across the entire appellation, the Eguren family are one of the few (if not the only) families in Rioja that produce an estate grown and bottled Reserva from a single village - in this case, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, one of the most respected villages for Tempranillo in Spain.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This dark-violet-colored wine has a bouquet of black currant, dark chocolate and juniper berry. A framework of opulent tannins plays host to flavors of blackberry, dark plums, bittersweet chocolate, rose petal and eucalyptus that evaporate into an enduring chocolate-scented finish.
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James Suckling
Very attractive aromas of dark berries, cedar, dust and flowers. Medium-to full-bodied with polished tannins and a delicious combination of dark berries and walnuts with hints of vanilla. Flavorful yet subtle finish. Assertive, but enjoyable. Drink now or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Spiced red and black fruits, dried herbs, licorice, and graphite all emerge from the 2015 Reserva, a medium-bodied Reserva with nicely integrated oak, good mid-palate density, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. Drink it over the coming 10-12 years or so. Best After 2022
Bodegas Sierra Cantabria was founded by Guillermo Eguren, a self-made bodeguero, who was, in the family tradition, a viticulturist. His family, native to San Vicente de La Sonsierra, one of the most sought-after terroirs in Rioja, had grown grapes in Rioja Alta and Alavesa since the 1870’s. For decades the family sold their grapes to local producers, but Guillermo recognized the potential that his family's vineyards had to create great wine and founded Bodegas Sierra Cantabria in 1957. Today, the fourth generation of the Eguren family directs all aspects of the winemaking process, with Marcos Eguren as the winemaker and director of operations and his brother Miguel Angel Eguren as the general manager. The family still prides themselves as viticulturists first, and as a result, all the grapes are estate grown. As viticulturists in Rioja Alavesa, they grow a vast majority of Tempranillo, with only a small percentage of Garnacha and Graciano, as they recognize that Garnacha and Graciano do not ripen reliably in northern Rioja.
Bodegas Sierra Cantabria is the family's original winery and comprises a collection of their most classic style Rioja wines. Due to their viticultural background, the family’s wines are composed of mostly Tempranillo, as they recognize that Garnacha and Graciano do not ripen reliably in Northern Rioja.
Although the family's business has evolved over the years through the foundation of other projects, Bodegas Sierra Cantabria comprises their most traditional, classic styled wines. The wines are made from a blend of selected vineyards, as opposed to Viñedos Sierra Cantabria, which is the family's collection of single vineyard wines.