Macán Macán Clásico 2021

Macán Clásico comes from plots in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in the north-west of the Rioja appellation, on the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria. This high-altitude wine landscape enjoys a climate that is both Atlantic and continental, marked by cool nights and slow ripening of the grapes. The vines, planted on clay-limestone and gravelly soils, draw a fresh, precise expression of Tempranillo. The nearby Ebro, the natural protection of the mountains and the diversity of exposures help shape wines that are deep, balanced and true to the identity of Rioja's great terroirs.

The grapes are harvested by hand, then fermented in stainless-steel tanks. The wine is then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

This wine reveals notes of ripe cherry, red plum and blackcurrant, lifted by floral hints of violet. The ageing brings refined touches of cedar, vanilla, cocoa and sweet spices, while an undertone of warm stone underlines its terroir character. On the palate, the texture is broad and satiny, carried by fresh acidity and ripe, finely drawn tannins. The long, harmonious finish extends the fruity, oaky and spicy flavours with an elegant sense of freshness.

The history of wine in Spain is so old that no one really knows who brought the first vines to the region. When the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was well established and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a wine miracle. After years on the sidelines of the fine wine world, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often very high in alcohol) and spicy reds that are ever more popular with international consumers. Proud to have more land under vine than any other country, Spain is only just beginning to capitalise on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is an anarchic tangle of regions and sub-regions, just as its landscape is an anarchic tangle of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity between Spain's many wine regions, from the green, rain-soaked vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the sun-baked vineyards of the Mediterranean south-east. Spain's saving grace, as far as viticulture is concerned, is the average altitude of its vineyards, over 600 metres. Many Spanish vineyards therefore manage to produce grapes with good colour and acidity simply because night-time temperatures are relatively low and the grapes do not ripen until the end of a sufficiently long growing season. But there is real treasure to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all kinds of ambitious investors have done their bit to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun crafting spectacular wines and experimenting with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable until very recently. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.