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Acentor Rioja

"offers up a ripe and deep bouquet of black cherries, dark berries, cigar ash, a bit of tariness, spicy oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full and youthful, with a good core" —

John Gilman View from the Cellar

Winery

ISAAC FERNANDEZ SELECCION

Appellation

Rioja D.O.Ca.

Grape(s)

85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Maturana Tinta

Altitude/Soil

550 meters / rocky, lime-rich clay

Farming Methods

Sustainable methods, including Integrated Pest Management

Harvest

Hand harvested into small bins

Production

Fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks

Aging

Aged for 8 months in used French oak barrels

Suggested Retail Price

$20

Wine Name

Scores

Downloads

Reviews

Acentor Rioja 2018

91 (WRO) 90 (VM) 89 (WB) 87+ (VfC) 87 (WS) ** (WP)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91	Wine Review Online	A blend of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, this is made from the estate’s grapes grown at an elevation of 550 meters (about 1804 feet). Deeply, darkly colored, this Spanish wine evokes cherries and other red fruits, plus subtle hints of floral, spice and vanilla. The blend throbs with ripe fruit which might have been excessive but instead is reined in just in time to be a balanced and tasty red to enjoy with sausages, beef, lamb, and red-sauced pasta dishes. Marguerite Thomas – December 8, 2020
90	Vinous Media	Dark violet. Spice-accented cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by suggestions of cola and vanilla. Pliant and energetic in the mouth, offering sweet red and blue fruit and spicecake flavors that show good depth and no rough edges. Finishes smooth, broad and long, with gentle tannic grip and lingering smokiness. 2022 – 2027 Josh Raynolds - April 2021
89	Washington Wine Blog	A blend of 85% Tempranillo with the reminder Garnacha, this delivers forward red and dark berry flavors with a light dusting of salinity and minerals. Drink 2020-2025. Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020
87+	View from the Cellar	The 2018 Rioja “Acentor” from Isaac Fernandez is composed of a blend of eighty-five percent Tempranillo and fifteen percent Graciano and was raised in used French oak barrels for eight months prior to bottling. The wine comes in at fourteen percent and offers up a ripe and deep bouquet of black cherries, dark berries, cigar ash, a bit of tariness, spicy oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full and youthful, with a good core, firm, chewy tannins and a long, woody finish. The oak tannins on the backend here need time to integrate, as right now they are uncovered and rather drying. But, the wine seems to have enough stuffing to absorb them in due course and the wine should turn out to be good once the oak has been integrated, and it would have been good to let this wine settle in for six months longer in the cellar before shipping, as it is not yet ready for drinking. 2021-20240. October 2019
87	Wine Spectator	This medium-bodied red offers good density, featuring blackberry, cola and spice notes, backed by moderate tannins. Hints of floral and wild herb echo on the finish. Tempranillo and Graciano. Drink now through 2024. 550 cases made, 500 cases imported. — GS September 2020
**	The Washington Post	Score: 2.5 Stars (Excellent/Exceptional) This savory red seems ideal for the weeks on either side of the autumnal equinox. It greets the nose with jammy late-summer aromas of blackberry pie, as well as a sense of a cool afternoon turning to dusk in a forest where the leaves have reached peak color and are almost, but not quite, ready to fall. This wine begs to be paired with meat cooked over fire. It’s young and should age well over the next five years if you’re willing to stock up. ABV: 14 percent. September 18, 2020

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Acentor Rioja 2019

91+ (VfC)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91+	View from the Cellar	The 2019 Acentor bottling from Casa La Rad is made from a blend of eighty-five percent tempranillo, ten percent graciano and five percent maturana tinto. The wine is raised for ten months in French oak casks, but none of the oak is new. It delivers an impressively deep and nascently complex bouquet of black raspberries, cigar ash, Rioja spice tones, a fine base of soil and a suave framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and tangy, with a good core, ripe tannins and fine length and grip on the nascently complex and nicely balanced finish. This is a young wine and needs cellaring before it starts to drink with generosity, but it is going to be excellent in due course. At $20 a bottle here in the US, it is an outstanding value! 2027-2055. John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021

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Acentor Rioja 2020

91 (OB) 90 (W&S) 89+ (VfC)

Label

Fact Sheet

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91	OwenBargreen.com	2020 Acentor Rioja- The 2020 Acentor Rioja is mostly Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Maturana blended in. Very fresh and neatly textured, this offers Mandarin orange zest alongside red raspberry and thyme flavors. Great to enjoy now, savor this beauty over the next seven years to come. Drink 2023-2030- Owen Bargreen - October, 2023
90	Wine & Spirits Magazine	2020 Rioja Acentor (BEST BUY) There's sub- stantial weight and depth of fruit in this wine, needing plenty of time in a decanter to show itself. A blend of tempranillo (85 percent) with graciano and maturana, this is all black- cherry skin and asphalt at first, taking on a refreshing petrichor tone as it opens with air. Winter Edition, November 2023.
89+	View from the Cellar	The 2020 Rioja Tinto from Acentor is crafted from a cépages of eighty-five percent Tempranillo, ten percent Graciano and five percent Maturana Tinta. The fruit is hand-harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in used French barrels for one year prior to bottling. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex blend of black cherries, black raspberries, cigar wrapper, a fine base of dark soil tones, a nice touch of Rioja spice tones and a discreet framing of smoky oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and ripely tannic, with the first vestiges of velvetiness peering out on the attack, a good core, tangy acids and a long, chewy and promising finish. This is still quite youthful and needs to tame its tannins a bit, but all of the constituent components are in place to be a fine bottle once it softens up. It is an excellent value for those who are willing to tuck it away in the cellar for a while before pulling the cork. 2030-2065. John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.

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