Ramón Bilbao Viñedos de Altura 2016 Rioja, Spain 75cl

Ramón Bilbao, based in Haro in the historic Rioja Alta, is one of the region’s best-known modern houses. Viñedos de Altura is its exploration of Rioja’s higher, cooler vineyards, a response to a warming climate and a taste for fresher styles.

It is an even, fifty-fifty blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha, an unusual and deliberate pairing. The Tempranillo comes from Villalba in Rioja Alta and the Garnacha from Tudelilla in the warmer, eastern part of the region, with the vineyards planted between roughly 650 and 700 metres. That altitude is the whole idea, holding on to acidity and aromatic lift where lower, hotter sites would give a heavier wine.

The 2016 vintage in Rioja was well regarded, giving ripe but balanced fruit with good acidity, exactly the profile this high-altitude blend is built around.

Around fifteen months in oak add a light, spicy frame to bright red and black fruit, liquorice and a fresh, balsamic note, with medium body, supple tannins and a clean finish. It is an easy wine to match with food: cured meats and chorizo, roast chicken, grilled lamb or a plate of tapas all work well. Serve at cool room temperature, give it a short time in the glass to open, and there is no need to keep it.

A contemporary take on Rioja that trades weight and heavy oak for freshness and drinkability. If you have found some Riojas too oaky or too soft, this altitude-driven Tempranillo and Garnacha blend offers welcome lift, and a different, more aromatic angle on the region.