Txabola Graciano 2022

A red wine built on clarity rather than extraction. Graciano brings acidity and backbone, sometimes at the expense of finesse; here that finesse is present. Medium to lean body, silky texture, highly drinkable.

The grapes come from a vineyard at 520 metres above sea level, on the limestone-clay soils typical of Rioja Alavesa. Eva Fernández and Luis Ruiz de Viñaspre farm 20 hectares across the villages of Elvillar, Viñaspre and Moreda, marked by calcareous marl and clay with high water permeability, and sheltered from the Atlantic winds by the Sierra Cantabria. Centuries-old olive trees stand among the gnarled vines.

Graciano is an indigenous and rare variety, accounting for ten percent of the estate's vineyard area. The vines are trained as bush vines, poda en vaso, averaging 45 years old. In the cellar, the wine ferments spontaneously and ages for 16 months in used barriques.

The start is fresh and juicy, with Mediterranean herbs, cherry fruit and a hint of citrus. The tannins are fine-grained, the texture silky, the oak beautifully integrated. The finish stays aromatic, with a pleasant herbal bitterness and good length. On the nose beforehand: mineral, floral and red-fruit notes, and especially thyme.

Maisulan has farmed organically and biodynamically since 2001, guided by Masanobu Fukuoka's philosophy of do-nothing farming, meaning the least possible intervention. Studies on soil erosion are underway with the Neiker research institute. Tim Atkin calls the pair "thrilling producers in Rioja".