Luberri Gran Reserva Rioja Alavesa 2015

Luberri farms old-vine tempranillo principally between the villages of Elciego and Laguardia, directly in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa region. Florentino Martínez Monje, the incredible force behind Luberri, is a jovial and mercurial spirit with a heart the size of Rioja. 

Luberri Gran Reserva is made from two of their oldest vineyards of 80-to-90-year-old tempranillo: Las Salinas at 600m and Rehoyos at 460m, both located in the heart of Rioja Alavesa, near the village of Elciego. Las Salinas is a particularly compelling vineyard located in one of the most interesting microclimates of Rioja Alavesa in a bowl formed around an ancient saltwater lake that comes and goes with the seasons. Old goblet-trained tempranillo vines face north in this vineyard, with the picturesque Sierra Cantabria mountains in the background. Las Salinas consistently gives fruit with incredible structure and finesse, while Rehoyos yields plush, luxurious wines with excellent fruit depth. Luberri combines the two in the best vintages to produce their classic Gran Reserva.  

Luberri’s Gran Reserva is true to the house philosophy that wine should be incredibly enjoyable right out of the bottle. This Gran Reserva is very accessible with plenty of fruit that drinks great right now while offering additional rewards for further cellar time. Luberri’s Gran Reserva delivers an unbeatable value and approachability in the world of long-aged, single-origin wines of Rioja.

Vinification – Bunches are hand harvested with a strict selection in the vineyard. Bunches are completely destemmed, crushed, and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is aged and undergoes malolactic fermentation during the first year in new 1000L French foudres and ages a year further in foudres second year in two-year-old 225L French barriques. The Gran Reserva is then aged in bottle for at least two years before release.