Vaza Crianza – A Match Made in Heaven

The Tempranillo grape and oak barrels, made to go together.

100% Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain. Aged in French and American oak barrels for at least 12 months. This is a dry red wine with just 1.9g/L of residual sugar.

This review is brought to you by Ferrer Family Wines. The wine has an SRP of $18 and is available for as low as $15. Imported by Freixenet USA. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

The inspiration for the name Vaza comes from the Spanish word ‘Baza’ – a trump card, a new way of doing something or a bright idea. Vaza is a new way of winemaking from Bodegas Solar Viejo, a modern winery in the long established region of Rioja, deep in the heart of Spain. Aged in French and American oak barrels at least 12 months, Vaza Crianza has aromas of ripe fruit, vanilla and toasty oak and balances a soft rounded flavor with a long satisfying finish. Enjoy as an ideal accompaniment to red meat, game and cheese.

14% Alcohol

Last week we saw that Tempranillo doesn’t need oak to shine in our review of the Vaza Tempranillo 2013. Today we have our second bottle from Vaza, which showcases just what a little time in oak can do for the Tempranillo grape. While this variety doesn’t NEED oak to be good, the combination of the two can be something special indeed.

The 2011 Vaza Crianza begins with a very strong and attractive aroma of black cherry, red plum, lots of licorice, and a little mint. Tasting reveals a smooth wine with lots of rich, savory dark fruit and a good, bright acidity. More time in the glass allows hints of vanilla and oak to reveal themselves as well. A bit of an earthy note comes out mid-palate and leads into the long, dry finish where the dark fruit turns quite tart and lingers nicely.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

This post brought to you by: