Lot presentation

Rioja DOCA Solar de Becquer 2003

The wine

The Rioja designation area, located in northern Spain in the Ebro valley, is divided into three production sectors: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. The Rioja vineyard occupies approximately 60,000 hectares spread on both sides of the Ebro over around a hundred kilometres, and is bordered by the Cantabrian Range to the north and the Sierra de la Demanda to the south. Three autonomous communities inhabit the designation area: the Rioja itself, Navarro and the Basque Country. Rioja is known for its excellent red wines (85% of production), made essentially from the tempranillo variety. But its produce also includes innovative and surprising whites that are fermented in barrels, `claret' rosés (very pale, fresh and fruity with an `onion skin' colour) and `vins de cépage' (reds, whites and rosés). The whites feature a greenish yellow colour that varies in paleness, with a delicate nose. They are light with a relatively low alcohol content. The Viura is the dominant white grape variety.