2017 Abel Mendoza Seleccion Personal Rioja

The 2017 Seleccion Personal is the selection of the best plot of Tempranillo that year, but in the last few years it tends to be from a 50-year-old vineyard called Marrarte-El Bardallo in the village of Labastida, with clay and limestone soils rich in silt. The wine is varietal with creamy notes and a mixture of wild berries and herbs with black rather than red fruit, denoting ripeness. The palate reveals abundant chalkiness and a medium to full body and some austerity with just a tad of oak. It matured in barrel for 13 months. 5,348 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2019. 93 points