La Tapada

There is a pure Garnacha from Rioja, the 2017 La Tapada, from a vineyard in the village of Azagra, one of a handful of villages from Navarra that are included within the Rioja appellation. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and matured in used 225-liter oak barrels for 12 months. It has a more mainstream profile, possibly because of the effect of the élevage, which gave it a spicy and smoky character, with notes of vanilla and coconut reminiscent of some old Rioja but with a more creamy/luxurious texture. It's medium-bodied and has fine tannins and a finish where the creamy oak makes a comeback. 2,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2019. Curiously enough, this vineyard didn't suffer the frost of 2017, but in the more benign 2018, yields were higher but the quality didn't convince Moya to bottle it.