Vina Otano Viura
"offers up a pretty bouquet of pear, raw almond, salty soil tones and a topnote of lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, nicely balanced and focused" —
John Gilman View from the Cellar
Appellation
Rioja D.O.Ca.
Grape(s)
100% Viura, from estate grown vines averaging 30 years old
Altitude/Soil
500 meters / sandy and limestone
Farming Methods
Sustainable methods
Harvest
Hand harvested into small boxes
Production
Whole clusters saw overnight skin contact prior to pressing. Fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Aging
Aged for a few months on fine lees prior to bottling
Suggested Retail Price
$14
Vina Otano Viura
2014
86 (WE)
| 86 |
Wine Enthusiast |
Largely neutral on the nose, then tangy and still fresh on the palate, this drink-now Viura is clean but unexciting. Flavors of generic citrus finish firm, with a pithy aftertaste.
August 2016 |
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Vina Otano Viura
2017
89 (VM) 87 (VfC)
| 89 |
Vinous Media |
Light, bright straw-yellow. Aromas of dried pear and lemon pith, with a subtle floral nuance in the background. Juicy and focused in style, showing good energy and a touch of warmth on a smooth finish that leaves a hint of lemon curd behind. 2021 – 2023”
Josh Raynolds - April 2021 |
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| 87 |
View from the Cellar |
The 2017 Viña Otano Rioja Blanco from Bodegas Fuenmayor is composed entirely of Viura and the new release offers up a pretty bouquet of pear, raw almond, salty soil tones and a topnote of lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, nicely balanced and focused, but a bit pinched on the backend from its screwcap. The acids are good, there is a decent core here and this wine should be nicely round, complex and generous out of the blocks, but the closure is already starting to scalp the wine a bit on the backend. Right now, one can put this in a decanter for fifteen minutes or so and it stretches out a bit, but permanent reduction is coming soon, so drink it over the next year or two. Under a natural cork, this wine would have the potential longevity of ten to fifteen years and would merit a score three points higher! 2019- 2021+?
Issue #78 - November/December 2018 |
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Vina Otano Viura
2020
87 (WE)
| 87 |
Wine Enthusiast |
Aromas of pineapple and passion fruit prepare the palate for flavors of Granny Smith apple, white peach and toasted nuts with a touch of eucalyptus in the finish.
M.D. – June/July 2022 BEST BUY |
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Vina Otano Viura
2021
87 (VfC)
| 87 |
View from the Cellar |
The entry level 2021 Rioja Blanco “Viura” from Viña Otano is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, with the wine given a few months of aging on its fine lees prior to bottling. The wine comes in at a svelte 12.5 percent octane in this vintage and delivers a pretty nose of pear, white flowers, raw almond, a touch of grassiness and a nice base of white soil tones. On the palate the wine is bright, medium-full and nicely balanced, with pretty good depth at the core, but a bit of a clipped finish from its closure. This is a good example of Viura that would be a terrific value if sealed under some form of natural cork, as the underlying wine is very good, but the screwcap compromised the quality a touch. The nose is fresher on this bottle than the one I tasted last spring, but the wine is really rather short because of the screwcap. 2023-2026.
John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023. |
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