Barbara Palacios Barbarot 2015 Rioja

Barbara is the least well known of the Palacios clan who have been making very good wine all over Spain. Being part of a winemaking dynasty has its advantages when it comes to accessing good vineyards, and this full bodied, rich red comes from vines planted in higher altitude Rioja Alta, giving freshness and cut to balance the richness of this plummy, paprika-flecked tempranillo/merlot blend. Aged for 13 months in French oak, it is rich, spicy and shows some attractive development of flavour from bottle age.