*** Wine Spectator Top 100 Value Wines 2016 *** Country: Spain  Varietal: Tempranillo, Grenache Vintage: 2016 Colour: Red Style: Dry Producer: Ramon Bilbao  Description: Ramón Bilbao started his wine adventure in 1924 because he saw it as an opportunity to travel the world. The family continued the tradition until the founder’s grandson, Ramón Bilbao Pozo, died without leaving an heir in 1966. The winery became a corporation in 1971, and in 1999 was obtained by the family firm of Diego Zamora S.A., which operates it today This exceptional and unusual Rioja is made from 40 year old Tempranillo vines grown in the Rioja Alta. It is a limited production Crianza, fermented in large oak barrel rather than steel vat and matured in barrique for 14 months in French oak and a further 9 months in bottle before release. Tasting Note: Ruby red in colour, highly intense, clear and bright. Presence of tears. Clean and frank in the nose. With foreground tastes of ripe black grapes, noble ageing in French casks, aromas of black pepper, cloves and chocolates. Long and full-bodied in the mouth. Balanced acidity, ripe rounded tannins, with a complex aftertaste recalling the impact of fruit in the nose. A harmonious and elegant wine. A wine still evolving, ready to drink but with good potential for a long life.