Alma Carraovejas, Aiurri Salas, 2021

Aiurri Salas Rioja Alavesa is the fruit of vines planted in 1911 on an outstanding, 2.6 hectare plot. You can immediately tell that this is an exceptional wine, with an emotively lilting, soaring aroma: just-picked blueberries, cocoa powder, juniper, plump blackberries and an indefinable, dewy freshness. Inhale, and you are transported on eagle's wings to vistas above mountain tops. Take a sip, and oh yes! Here is effortless succulence and elegance, the hallmark of a Carraovejas wine - the Rioja counterpart to Cuesta de las Liebres. The silky tannins have utter finesse and there is a gentle creaminess of texture. It is not super-powerful: at most, medium-bodied, but with such exceptional balance and persistence on the finish. It is immediately delicious, and yet it should age for years.