Amazing aromas of rose petals and blueberries that turn to violets. Full bodied with seamless tannins and an endless finish. A truly superb wine with incredible polish and balance. Stunning. Perfect to taste now but will age forever.
99 points, James Suckling (January 2018)
I was eager to taste the bottled 2014 Las Beatas, and then I realized I was not only going to taste the 2014 but also the 2015, as it was already bottled. 2014 saw a warm winter with average rain and a dry and warm spring followed by a fresh and dry September with some rain that challenged the end of the ripening period. This is a field blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Garnacha Blanca and others fermented in 1,000- and 3,000-kilogram oak vats and matured in 1,200-liter oak foudres for 15 months. I see this more in line with the 2012 rather than the 2013, with a little more ripeness within the elegant style of the vineyard. It's spicy, floral and faintly balsamic with very elegant tannins. The consistency of this wine is in the palate, as the nose changes a lot more.
96 points, Luis Gutierrez (March 2018)
Rioja
The largest and most famous region in Spain covers an area of over 63,000 ha. Sheltered by three mountain ranges, Rioja is fairly dry with an average annual rainfall of just 530 mm. The climate of the region varies from cooler wetter, elevated areas of the northern Rioja Alavesa, to the warm and dry areas of the Rioja Alta to the hot continental Rioja Baja on its south-eastern side. Rioja is famous for its red wine styles which are usually a Tempranillo dominant blend with portions of Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena. Rioja has a hierarchy of quality based on the maturation and ageing of its wines. Joven styles are generally fruit-forward unoaked styles made to drink young, while oak maturation is used for Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva styles. Traditionally American oak is used in the region, although the use of French oak barriques is on the rise. The finest Tempranillo grapes are grown on the chalky soils of the Alavesa sub-region offering elegance, perfume and acidity for the Reserva and Gran Reserva styles while the Rioja Alta and Baja produces the majority of fruit that provide the body and spicy ripe fruit characters. Attractive white Rioja wines made from Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Chardonnay, are also produced in both modern unoaked and more traditional oaked styles.
