White-medium-traditional

Bodegas Ostatu Rioja Blanco 2009Price: $15.00    Case Price: $13.50

938472938476
Color:
White
Body/Type:
Medium Bodied
Style:
Traditional
Size:
Bottle, 750 ml
Winery:
Bodegas Ostatu
Grapes:
Viura and Malvasia
Serve At:
50°-54° F
Region:
Spain > Rioja
BargainCrispFantasticRefreshingSmooth

The Bodegas Ostatu Rioja Blanco 2009 is a blend of 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia grapes from minimally treated 60-70 year old vines, in the Rioja Alavesa region of Spain. Fermented in stainless steel to accentuate the characteristics and quality of the grapes, this white Rioja presents us with some bright citrus, snappy acidity and well balanced fruit. Never heard of Viura before? It's actually the most popular grape in Northern Spain, and chance are if you have tasted one of our sparkling cava's, we have already introduced you to Viura. Found under a different name, Macabeo, Viura is simply the synonym used in the Spanish DO of Rioja.

Bodegas Ostatu is a family run winery, located in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa region of Spain. The Saenz de Samaniego family has been in the town of Samaniego for many generations and their vineyards, with the average age of fifty years, are protected by the Sierra Cantabria range. They had just begun bringing their artisanal wines to the world stage when Hubert de Bouard de Laforest of Chateau Angelus saw the vineyard sites of the family and expressed an interest in collaborating on a special project. He realized that the age of the vines, combined with the unique orientation of the vineyards, could produce drastically different wines. By switching over from carbonic maceration to traditional fermentation and by reducing yields in the vineyards the wines made a drastic change in style.

The Rioja DOC sits astride the Ebro river, as it winds its way from its source in the Sierra de Cantabria range, to the Mediterranean at it's mouth just below Barcelona. Divided into three subzones, wines of Rioja often depend largely on which part of the region the vines are grown.
To the northwest lies Rioja Alta, where Tempranillo and Garnacha vines grow on the higher elevations of the foothills of the Cantabrias. Next to it is the Basque region of Rioja Alavesa, where the Alava province juts into the Ebro Valley. To the southeast is the hotter, Mediterranean-influenced Rioja Baja, where more of the native Graciano is blended into the area's reds.
Rioja's wines have historically been simple reds, blended and aged in American oak. An influx of French winemaking practices led to more refined efforts at estate-bottling and more judicious use of oak, and more French oak at that. Nowadays the region is struggling to find a cohesive identity, producing excellent wines of both new and old world character.

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Terry Quinn, tquinn says:

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  • Fantastic
  • Refreshing
  • Smooth

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