Grapes of Spain

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
90	Vinous Media	Vivid ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced cherry and dark berries, plus a hint of smokiness that gains strength as the wine opens up. Smooth, sweet and open-knit, showing good depth to the juicy blackberry and cherry cola flavors. A coconut nuance emerges on the clinging finish, which is given shape by supple, even tannins. "Rioja Looks Back and Ahead" - February 21, 2019
89+	View from the Cellar	The cépages of the 2015 Viña Otano Rioja “Crianza” is the same as last year, ninety percent Tempranillo and ten percent Mazuelo, with the wine raised for one year in a combination of American and French, older casks. The 2015 is a bit more black fruity in profile than the 2014 was on the nose, offering up a superb blend of black cherries, Rioja spices, cigar smoke, an excellent base of salty soil tones, a touch of celery seed and a well done framing of oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with moderate, well-integrated tannins, good acids and fine focus and grip on the long, nascently complex and stylish finish. This is much more ready to go out of the blocks than the slightly stern 2014 and is an excellent bottle in the making. 2018-2040. Issue #75 – May/June 2018

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Vina Otano Crianza 2016

91 EC (WE) 89+ (VfC) 88 (WS)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
91 EC	Wine Enthusiast	Nicely presented plum and cherry aromas come with touches of malt, molasses and oak. A fresh and balanced palate is lively and fairly generous, while this tastes of berry, plum, light oak and earth notes. Spice and vanilla flavors carry a steady finish. *Editors’ Choice.* —M.S. June 2020 Issue
89+	View from the Cellar	The 2016 Rioja “Crianza” from Bodegas Viña Otano is made from fruit sourced in both Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, with the wine raised in a combination of French and American barrels for twelve months. The wine delivers and excellent bouquet of red and black cherries, Rioja spice tones, salty soil tones, cigar wrapper and a nice touch of toasted coconut in the upper register. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and velvety on the attack, with a good core, fine focus and grip and a long, moderately tannic finish. I like the raw material here immensely, but the wood sticks out a bit on the backend, adding a touch of rigidity at the present time, which should ameliorate with a bit of bottle age. I do not know how old the oak barrels were that this wine was aged in, but I get the impression that there is some new wood here and it would make sense to me to use those casks again and not add any new oak to subsequent vintages for this bottling, as there is such a lovely texture to the fruit component of this wine that it seems silly to have to wait for the oak tannins to better integrate on the backend to enjoy that characteristic fully. That said, this wine has impressive depth and complexity and with a bit of bottle age, it is going to be lovely and is a very fine value. 2021-2045. October 2019
88	Wine Spectator	This smooth red delivers modest but harmonious flavors of cherry, dried currant, tobacco and spice. Gentle tannins and orange peel acidity keep this focused. Drink now through 2024. 10,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. — TM October 2019

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Vina Otano Crianza 2017

90 (WB) 90 (WRO) 90 (VfC) 90 (WE) 90 (VM)

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
90	Washington Wine Blog	Layers of toasty oak meld with red cherry and cranberry with dusty terroir on the nose. The palate is fresh with terrific weight and acidity that line the core of red fruits, with toasty oak and citrus rind tones. Enjoy this delightful Crianza Rioja over the next five to seven years. Drink 2020-2025. Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020
90	Wine Review Online	I love the way this wine is styled. Often Rioja Crianza ends up in a kind of vinous “no man’s land,” with too much oak to enjoy in the years immediately following release, but not quite enough guts to outlast the oak or age into something really worth the wait. This is an exemplary case in counterpoint. The fruit is quite ripe for a Rioja, and just a bit low in acidity, though that’s not a shortcoming for a wine made for early drinking. The oak is also unusually reserved for the breed, with none of the “piney,” resinous character that inhibits early enjoyment. The red cherry and berry flavors are very enjoyable, with just enough tannin to give the wine some backbone to stand up to food. Wonderfully easy to enjoy, you could reach for this as a partner for a meal when you might be thinking about New World Pinot Noir (surprising as that may seem), and end up with a much better wine for a comparable sum of money. Michael Franz - November 3, 2020
90	View from the Cellar	The Crianza bottling from Vina Otano is composed from a blend of ninety percent tempranillo and ten percent mazuelo, with the wine aged in a combination of French and American oak for a year prior to bottling. The wine offers up a deep and youthful nose of red and black cherries, cigar smoke, a touch of Rioja spice, incipient nutskin, a lovely base of soil tones and smoky oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and has plenty of midpalate depth, with moderate tannins, fine balance and grip and a long, tangy finish. This is still a puppy and deserves some bottle age to fully blossom. It will be a fine bottle when it is ready to drink, but it needs a bit of cellaring. 2025-2055. John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021
90	Wine Enthusiast	This wine has a nose of purple plum and cassis, with a touch of summer farm stand. Dark-berry flavors are joined by satiny tannins and notes of toffee, toasted almond and violet. The finish is marked with a note of salinity. M.D. - Best of the Year 2022
90	Vinous Media	Deep, brilliant red. Lively, sharply focused red fruit and floral scents are complemented by hints of vanilla and white pepper. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering fresh red currant, pomegranate and cherry flavors that turn sweeter through the midpalate. Smooth tannins frame a long finish that strongly echoes the red fruit note. Raised in a combination of French and American oak barrels. 2021 – 2026 Josh Raynolds - April 2021

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Vina Otano Crianza 2018

88+ (VfC)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
88+	View from the Cellar	The 2018 Rioja “Crianza” from Viña Otano is composed from a blend of ninety percent Tempranillo and ten percent Mazuelo. The wine is aged for one year in cask prior to bottling and is plenty ripe in this vintage, tipping the scales at 14.5 percent octane. It delivers a ripe and youthful nose of black raspberries, cigar wrapper, Rioja spice tones, a bit of meatiness, a good base of soil and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and nicely sappy at the core, with good soil signature, moderate tannins and a long, tangy and gently warm finish. This is a good solid example of the 2018 vintage, but the 2017 version is more classical in style, due to the differences in their respective vintages. 2027-2060. John Gilman – Issue #98 March/April 2022

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Vina Otano Crianza 2019

92 (OB) 89+ (VfC)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
92	OwenBargreen.com	The 2019 ‘Crianza’ was aged for 12 months in American and French oak barrels before bottling. This takes on a beautiful bouquet of freshly picked red roses, alongside dill pickle, juicy red raspberry and shades of orange peel. The palate is big and bold with a polished texture. At under 20 bucks, this is seriously good stuff for the price. Drink 2023-2030- Owen Bargreen - October, 2023
89+	View from the Cellar	The 2019 Rioja “Crianza” from Viña Otano is crafted from a cépages of ninety percent tempranillo and ten percent mazuelo. The wine delivers a fine young nose of red and black raspberries, Rioja spice tones, cigar wrapper, a fine base of soil and a rather generous serving of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a good core, tangy acids, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced and fairly oaky finish. This wine only spent twelve months in cask, but I would bet a fair percentage were new barrels. This is a good bottle that is approachable today, but will be even better a couple of years down the road, when the oak influence relaxes a bit more. Fine value. 2023-2040. John Gilman - Issue #105 May/June 2023.

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Vina Otano Crianza 2020

90 (VfC)

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Score	Publication	Review	Copy
90	View from the Cellar	The 2020 Rioja “Crianza” from Viña Otano is crafted from a cépages of ninety percent Tempranillo and ten percent Mazuelo and is given one year of cask aging. The wine is ripe, but well-measured at fourteen percent octane and offers up a lovely, youthful nose of cassis, black raspberries, cigar ash, a nice touch of Rioja spice tones, dark soil and cedar. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely sappy at the core, with good soil undertow, ripe tannins and a long, tangy and nascently complex finish. This is already quite tasty, but more complexity will emerge if given a bit of time in the cellar. It is an excellent value. 2024-2045. John Gilman, Issue 109, January – February 2024

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