Oxer Matalaz Rioja 2022

There is a new red Matalaz from grapes he purchased. He ended up buying the vineyard in the village of La Puebla de la Barca from the part that produces lower alcohol, mostly Tempranillo, a little bit of Viura, Graciano and Mazuelo from soils with lots of rocks. Like all the wines, this fermented in open oak vats, concrete and barrels (mostly Stockinger, 225- and 500-liter used ones) that are quite respectful of the wines, for around 10 months. This is a new entry-level wine with 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.6 (he tends to pick early rather than late) that shows the freshness and elegance that seems to be the hallmark of the year. There is accentuated floweriness, with notes of tomato vine that develop after some time in the glass, and a juicy palate that is vibrant and balanced, very fresh. A great debut. In this first vintage, he only produced 1,000 bottles that were filled in July 2021, but he can produce up to 4,000 bottles if he uses all the grapes from the vineyard.