An unusual Rosado from Rioja, a blend of Viura and Tempranillo vinified as a red wine yet pale, dry and elegant.
Production
Grapes are sourced from Siete Caminos vineyard plots, with a south-easterly exposure and an altitude of around 350m. The Tempranillo vines were planted in 2000 and the Viura in 2004. The harvest was staggered and selective, to ensure that grapes arrived at the bodega optimally ripe - with good alcohol potential and abundant colour. The grapes are macerated until a pale colour is achieved, and afterwards fermentation takes place as for red wine.
Ontañón Clarete (pale rosé) 2023 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
Pale coral pink in colour with lifted red berry aromas and delicate fruit characters. The palate is fresh, bright and quite vinous with balancing citrus acidity and an elegant, dry finish. Clarete is an officially classified style of Rosado - well-known within Rioja but almost never found outside the region, quite serious in style and very good with food.
Food match
An interesting apéritif with assorted tapas equally good with roast poultry and grilled fish - very much a food wine.
Info
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ABV
13%
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CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
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REGION/COUNTRY
RIOJA, SPAIN
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GRAPE
VIURA 75%, TEMPRANILLO 25%
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FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN, SUSTAINABLE
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CLOSURE
SCREWCAP
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WINEMAKER
RUBEN PÉREZ CUEVAS
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APPELLATION
DOCA RIOJA
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ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
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Meet the producer
Bodegas Ontañón is a 5th generation family-owned and run winery in Rioja Baja (now Rioja Oriental). Here Raquel, Rubén and Maria Pérez Cuevas continue their father Gabriel's work to develop Bodegas Ontañón into one of the most highly-regarded wineries in Rioja. Ontañón has vast swathes of vineyard in this part of Rioja. Whilst wine production in the region is typically very dependent on contracts with grape growers, the Pérez Cuevas family has seen fit to invest heavily in the purchase of its own land and vines. Its 250ha is a testament to the importance it places on controlling grape quality.
The family's vineyards sit high in the Sierra Yerga mountains in the prestigious region surrounding Quel, defying misconceptions that Rioja Baja is one of the lesser sub-regions within Rioja. Many of their vineyards are actually planted at altitudes on a par with, or above, those in Rioja Alta and Alavesa; (La Pasada is their highest vineyard at 800m above sea level, planted in 1979 it is used for Reserva and Gran Reserva wines). The hot and dry Mediterranean climate allows for consistent ripening of the grapes with little disease and this has enabled them to pursue organic production across 57 hectares of vines.