Ostatu Gran Reserva Blanco Rioja Alavesa 2019

Ostatu Gran Reserva Blanco is a showcase of the Saénz de Samaniego family’s fusion of organic viticulture, contemporary winemaking chops, and understanding of Alavesa tradition, applied to Rioja Blanco.

The secret lies in the highest-altitude and oldest bush-trained vineyards of indigenous viura and malvasía grapes coming from the village of Samaniego in Rioja Alavesa. These vineyards are located at the convergence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean climatic influences, which mold the character of the vintages. This unique soil and climate also lend a certain austerity and structure to Ostatu wines, which differentiates them from the Rioja wines of other subzones. Ostatu is pure Alavesa mountain wine, born of the tension and energy of an extreme climate.

Gran Reserva Blanco is only produced in the best vintages. Grapes are farmed organically, and only native yeasts are utilized to ferment in stainless steel tanks, yielding an impressive, transparent expression of white Rioja. The resulting wine is a transparent expression of a unique place and vintage, destined to age gracefully for years.

Vinification – The grapes are harvested manually with a severe selection process in the vineyards. After destemming and a pre-fermentation cold soak, the wine ferments with indigenous yeasts in small stainless steel tanks for 23 days at 15-16°C. The wine is aged in second-use French oak barrels for 20 months, without malolactic fermentation. Gran Reserva Blanco was bottled after only a light filtration in September 2021. 4075 bottles produced.