Ostatu Gran Reserva Rioja Alavesa 2015

Ostatu is “Rioja mountain wine,” meaning their vineyards are located at very high altitudes in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountain range, where they are protected from the cold northern wind. This region is characterized by very old vines. The poor soils and the unique location at the foot of this mountain range create a special microclimate ideal for tempranillo grapes to have a long maturation and develop complex aromas and flavors. Samaniego is located directly in the convergence of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean climatic influences, which meet in Rioja Alavesa, molding the character of the vintages. This unique soil and climate also lend a certain austerity and structure to Ostatu wines, which differentiate them from other subzones’ Rioja wines. Ostatu is pure Alavesa mountain wine, born of an extreme climate. Many have made comparisons with the best wines of Italy’s Alto Piemonte and Valtellina regions; we don’t disagree.

Ostatu is a carbon-neutral winery through its use of green energy sources and participation in reforestation initiatives. One of their great works in the last decade has been converting all 36ha of their vineyards to organic farming, including El Rincón for their flagship Gran Reserva. 

The Ostatu single-vineyard Gran Reserva is from one of Ostatu’s oldest vineyards, El Rincón, planted in 1945. It is located in the heart of Rioja Alavesa, near the village of Samaniego, on a small south-facing slope, at an altitude of 600m. Planted to traditional, goblet-trained tempranillo and graciano vines, El Rincón has poor clay soils with a limestone-rich subsoil, which is responsible for the incredible structure and longevity of their Gran Reserva. The village of Samaniego is famous for producing tempranillo which makes up the backbone of many of the most epic Rioja reds capable of improving in bottle for decades. Ostatu’s Gran Reserva is made only in the best vintages in small quantities (approximately 400 cases are made), and each release represents one of the finest red wines Rioja Alavesa has to offer, built to improve in bottle for decades. 

2015 Vintage – 2015 was marked by generally good weather conditions throughout the year that resulted in excellent vintage quality. The 2015’s have evolved in bottle to surpass original expectations of the vintage, with top wines like Ostatu’s Gran Reserva being considered classics that will undoubtedly repay many years of cellar development. The large water reserve due to a cold, wet winter with abundant snow in February and March favored optimal vegetative development. The vegetative cycle was advanced due to a hot summer, tempered by plenty of rain in September, which led to early technical ripening, forcing a long and selective harvest in search of the optimum phenolic ripeness. The 2015 vintage from Ostatu was one of their greatest ever, as the warm vintage favored cool, high-elevation sites like El Rincón, where the old vines were able to tap into deep water reserves and benefit from a long maturation period, with the bunches for Ostatu’s Gran Reserva being hand-harvested on October 11, 2015. The resulting wine is one of the most incredible expressions of Ostatu, belonging to the great wines of the world. It drinks well now and will do so for decades to come.