Luis Canas Crianza, Rioja 2022

Certainly quite a grown-up Rioja with good, ripe, fresh red fruit flavours. In Rioja the term 'Crianza' on the label means the wine inside will have been aged for at least 12 months in oak barrels giving extra layers of flavour and tannins. This one spent its time in a mix of new French and American oak which has given it gently assertive vanilla, cedar and dried herb notes which complement the primary fruit flavours really well. It's full of rich red fruit flavours and the impressively dense palate has well rounded tannins and good levels of acidity giving it a clean fruity finish with a hint of eucalyptus.

Very versatile when it comes to matching with food. Roasts and poultry naturally, while a classic paella works an absolute treat.

In 1970, Luis Cañas became the first winemaker in Rioja Alavesa to bottle his own wine rather than sell it as bulk. This was a bold move back then and was an indicator of the winery's reputation as one of the most progressive in the region. Sheltered below the Sierra Cantabria, their vineyards are all old, small plots on chalky-clay soils where cultivation is carried out according to organic principles. While Juan Luis Cañas is now the powerhouse behind things the philosophy remains the same - the best wines can only be obtained from the best possible grapes. They have 350 hectares of vineyards, across 870 plots each one of which has its own personality the fruit of which is used to influence the character of the different wines they go to make.