Jose Luis Ripa Rioja Rose Garnacha 2020

Jose Luis Ripa Rioja Rose Garnacha 2020

Jose Luis Ripa
$40.00

Grape: Garnacha
Vintage: 2020
Type: Rosé

This serious, age-worthy Spanish rosado is crafted by José Luis Ripa from old, low-yielding garnacha bush vines in Rioja Alta. The fruit grows on iron-rich clay and limestone terraces, capturing a structured intensity that avoids modern pale trends. Following a brief skin maceration to extract color and fine phenolics, the juice ferments spontaneously with native wild yeasts in neutral oak. It matures for thirty months in large, old wood casks to allow the liquid to breathe.

It shows a deep coppery-salmon hue, releasing complex aromas of dried red currants, orange peel, wild thyme, and toasted almond. On the palate, the extensive wood aging reveals a fleshy, texturally rich mouthfeel anchored by a fine tannic framework. A sweeping wave of cool-climate mountain acidity balances the impressive physical weight, keeping the texture nimble. Savory layers of dried cherries and blood orange zest integrate with the mineral backbone.

Winery

José Luis Ripa Sáenz de Navarrete launched his project in 2016 after decades working within historic Rioja estates, including CVNE and R. López de Heredia alongside his wife, María José López de Heredia. Inspired by traditional, structured rosés built for extended cellaring, Ripa focuses exclusively on producing 1 oak-aged rosado. Fruit is sourced from 30+-year-old bush-trained vines in the cool Najerilla Valley of Rioja Alta, where high elevations and calcareous clay soils yield grapes with vibrant natural acidity. The blend relies primarily on garnacha complemented by tempranillo.

In the cellar, hand-harvested grapes are destemmed and undergo a 18 to 24-hour maceration before the juice is bled off (saignée). Fermentation and extended maturation take place in neutral 500-liter French oak barrels for 18 to 30 months, followed by additional bottle age before release. Rejecting the commercial pressure for early-release pink wines, Ripa delivers a textured, low-intervention rosado characterized by savory dried herbs, orange peel, fine-grained structure, and a long, saline finish.