Vinos en Voz Baja, Costumbres Tinto, Rioja, Spain, 2022

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Overview of the Wine
Vinos en voz baja is a winery located in the historic wine area of Rioja Oriental in the village of Aldeanueva de Ebro. Classic Rioja vineyards, viñas de vaso of the typical variety of the area, Garnacha, accompanied by other varieties that were always mixed such as Pasera, Tempranillo, Garnacha Roya, Graciano de Alfaro, Viura and others. The wines are structured in three steps to represent the region: Rioja Oriental Zone Wine (Costumbres red and white), Village Wine from Aldeanueva de Ebro (Barrio Pastores), and Single Vineyard Wine (Erosivo).  

The elaboration of the wines is based on the stepped on the whole clusters and the fermentation and storage of the wines for a year in the tanks and barrels. The style of the wines is fine, with lightness and a little more alcohol than in other areas of Rioja, the Garnacha strawberry is the protagonist because the aging in the wood is lighter. The wines are ready to drink in the first few years, and the wines from the best plots can be very long-lived.

Carlos Mazo of Vinos en Voz Baja has been awarded the Young Winemaker of the Year 2023 by Tim Atkins. 

"This is another inspiring venture – so much so that Carlos is my young winemaker of the year – working with ten parcels spread over just six hectares in Aldeanueva, Alfaro, Autol, Calahorra, and Rincón de Soto. He started out in a garage in 2012 and has been in his own, very stylish boutique winery since 2020. The focus here is on old vine Garnacha (plus a bit of Calagraño and Tinto Velasco) of remarkable finesse and elegance" - Tim Atkin, Rioja Special Report 2023.

Winemaker
Carlos Mazo

Grape / Blend
95% Garnacha, 5% Tinta Velasco and Tempranillo

Origin
Rioja, Spain

Tasting Notes
It is a light wine, with the typical character of La Rioja Oriental and the smoothness of the Garnacha with a shallow aging. 

91 Points - Wine Advocate
The red 2022 Costumbres Tinto was produced with 95% Garnacha and the rest Tinta Velasco and Tempranillo. It's a regional wine from different vineyards. The full clusters were foot trodden and fermented with indigenous yeasts with a maceration of 20 days. It matured in concrete vat and 3,000-liter oak vat for one year. It has a limpid, bright ruby color and an expressive fruit-driven nose, with integrated oak and a whiff of honey and beeswax. The palate reveales abundant, slightly dusty tannins.  It has 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. 15,000 bottles and 480 magnums produced. It was bottled in August 2023.

Product size: 750ml