2018 Rioja Reserva, Sancho Garcés, Bodegas Patrocinio

With Easter feasting on the horizon, now’s a good time to think about which reds you’ll be putting alongside that festive roast leg of lamb. Or slow-cooked shoulder. Think: Rioja. Think: succulent, vibrant, juicy, spicy red and black tempranillo fruit complementing the rich, sweet, herbaceous, pungent flavours of lamb.

Now think: 2018 Sancho Garcés Rioja Reserva. A sumptuous, opulent, barrel-aged, 100% tempranillo made from the region’s finest vineyards in the heart of La Rioja Alta.

And as a ‘reserva’, it’s tempranillo that’s enjoyed a whole fourteen months of that barrel-ageing for added complexity and depth of flavour.

Add to these another four years in bottle, and combined you’ve got ethereal aromas of wild-strawberry fruit on the nose with a sensual, sweet and savoury fruit character on the palate, and subtle, smoky vanilla notes, polished texture, and the spicy nuances of a well-aged Rioja.