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Wine Review Online |
My love of wine is well more than half about love of exploration and discovery, and as I write this at the end of July in 2023, this is the discovery of the year. The grape is unknown to me as a varietal wine, but the result here is marvelous — in the literal meaning of that word. It is a marvel that combines a bright, energetic freshness with savory undertones that are really perfect counterpoints, as this is either a light and refreshing red or a much more serious wine that’s coiled for years of development. In that respect, it is like a three-dimensional drawing — it could be either of these, depending on which of its dimen- sions you concentrate upon. It reminds me first of tart blackberries — which I love — but also riper Bing cherries, and it is interesting that the fruit notes are for me black-toned but still so bright, as though there was a fruit like cranberries in it also, though the flavors just don’t ring that bell of red-fruit recollection. There’s almost no cellar work intruding on the fruit’s ability to show its stuff, though maceration, fermentation and barrel aging surely accentuated the savory undertones that provide the interplay and complexity that make this a savory wine of intricacy rather than a mere curiosity. Two last observations: It is quite hard for a reviewer not to im- pose a scoring “ceiling” on certain varieties (when did you last see a Sauvignon Blanc scored in the mid- or high-90s?), and especially with a variety that a reviewer has never tasted as a solo performer. I note this only to indicate that I worked my score out very carefully, and if I’m off, I am not off on the high side. Finally, everyone who reads this review should not only remember the rare and recently revived variety “Maturana,” but also the name of Isaac Fernández, who is one of Spain’s most important winemakers, though you might not know that on account of his modesty. Wow — what a find.
Michael Franz Aug 1, 2023 |
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| 91+ |
View from the Cellar |
Maturana Tinta is a grape variety indigenous to Rioja, but it was almost lost when it fell out of fashion and has been brought back by conservationists believing it still has a role to play in the region. I have never tasted a bottling of Rioja made with this grape in the blend, let alone one made entirely from the varietal, but I was quite impressed. It is lower octane than the other two Acentor Rioja bottlings, coming in at 13.5 percent alcohol and offering up a decidedly black fruity bouquet of dark berries, cassis, espresso, a nice touch of meatiness, cigar smoke, chalky soil tones, fresh herb tones and a touch of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with fine soil signature, a good core of fruit, ripe, buried tannins and a long, complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is quite uniquely styled for Rioja and a superb bottle in the making. Like all the other Acentor Rioja bottlings, this is under twenty dollars per bottle and an absolute steal! 2028-2065.
John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023. |
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Acentor Maturana Tinta 
