2020 Bodegas Exopto El Espinal de Exopto

This is unlike anything you may have tasted from Rioja before. Picked a full month after Exopto’s �balos vineyards, the inviting dark purple, almost inky hue draws you in, before layers of complexity overflow from the glass: pure blue fruits, fennel, some spice and a peppery lift. Then you get waves of moreish mid-palate freshness, lifted chalky tannins and lip-smacking acidity. Like an outstanding Saumur yet with perhaps more flesh, it’s a superb and unique red from Rioja’s high country.