Akutain, Crianza, Rioja 2018 - 75cl

Bodega Akutain is one of those Rioja names collectors trade quietly among themselves. A tiny family operation in the Rioja Alta, it still works the old way, and this 2018 Crianza is the proof: Tempranillo with a whisper of Garnacha and Viura, drawn from four parcels of estate vines and made with almost no intervention.

What sets it apart is the ageing. Rather than rush the wine to market, Akutain gives it twenty months in barrel, six longer than the Crianza rules demand, mostly in seasoned American oak with a little French, then racks each barrel by hand twice a year and bottles unfiltered. A further stretch resting in their cellar dug beneath the vineyard follows. That patience shows.

The nose leads with raspberry and dark cherry, tobacco leaf and a lick of sweet vanilla from the wood. The palate is juicy and savoury at once, dark-fruited and dusted with baking spice, the tannins fine and the acidity keeping everything honest. There is a clean, faintly saline snap on the finish that comes from the chalky soils. This is traditional Rioja with genuine finesse, not a blockbuster but a wine that rewards attention. Pour it for a long, unhurried dinner when you want something with a bit of age and a story behind it.

How to Serve

Serve at 16-18°C. Younger bottles like this one open up beautifully with 30-45 minutes in a decanter, though it is drinking well now and will hold and deepen over the next five to eight years. A standard Bordeaux glass gives the aromatics room.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot, Lamb's Conduit Street, for its love of characterful, small-grower bottles. Brat in Shoreditch, whose live-fire cooking flatters savoury Tempranillo. Wiltons on Jermyn Street for a classic, old-school pairing with game.

Food Pairings

Made for lamb, whether slow-roasted shoulder or chops off the grill, the savoury edge of the wine locking onto the char. A plate of aged Manchego and jamon also does the trick if you want something simpler.