Red Wine
Sustainable
Dry
Residual Sugar: 2.00 g/l
Full Bodied
750ml
14.50% alc./vol

Bodegas Exopto El Espinal DOC Rioja 2021

Rioja, Spain

91 Points - James Suckling

$61.95per bottle ($371.70per case)
6 bottles per case

Rounded & Spicy

This product is available in select LCBO retail stores & online as part of the Destination Collection. Feel free to contact us at info@npwines.com if you need any assistance locating stock. Please note that shipping will take approximately 2-3 weeks from the time the wine is ordered when making using of NPWs services sourcing case(s) for delivery.

This wine is part of a collection of authentic and soulful bottlings that honors the hard work of the viticulturist Miguel Angel Mato, a native of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Through this collection of wines the focus is to highlight the unique character and hard work he puts into his best plots. The terroir expressed in these wines will transparently illuminate the soil, climate, and the hand of this man: a critical and fundamental element that make up their terroir.

Made entirely from Maturana Tinta grapes, also known as Castets. Aromas of black & blue fruits, white pepper and licorice. On the palate, the wine is very round and spicy with notes of black pepper with soft berry fruit overlay. Powerful and vibrant and wonderfully fresh on the finish - a wine clearly marked by its Atlantic character.

This wine will match well with charcuterie boards and foods with a spicy kick. This will also pair well with grilled meats - try grilled octopus if you're feeling adventurous!

About the Winery

Bodegas Exopto

Exopto is Latin for “to long for” or “to desire greatly” and it is the dream of Frenchman Tom Puyaubert and his family to endeavor to craft and assemble wines where the whole adds up to more than the sum of their parts. Tom relocated from France to Rioja in 2000 after falling in love with the region and working for the French cooperage Saury as its Spain representative.

When Tom began Exopto, he wanted to do a project that produced wines within this historical context of Rioja - combining both worlds in a unique way. His idea is to remain true to the blending of the principle grape varieties and to do so from the best terroirs/villages for those varieties crossing sub-regions of Rioja. Each wine though, has a majority of a different principle grape – showcasing that variety specifically within the context of a blend. The viticulture and winemaking model is that of the “vigneron” days – small plots of vines in the extremes, wild yeast fermentation in concrete or old oak vats and then aging in a way to showcase the fruit, minerality and terroir not the wood or aged flavours that people often associate with Rioja.

Press Reviews

James Suckling

91 Points - Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor

Distinctive aromas of briar, peppercorn and tarry fruit with mulberries and blueberries. Medium-bodied on the palate saturated with fresh, pulpy blue fruit and some lavender. Silky wrapping of tannins here. Maturana tinta. Drink now.