Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva Rioja 2015
The first impression was vanilla and coconut, which I took as a likely sign of American oak. It then settled into dried dark fruit, smoke and earth, and it is drinking well now.
Region: Rioja · Type: Red · Vintage: 2015 · Producer: Bodegas Ramón Bilbao · Grape: Tempranillo, Carignan, Grenache
Tasted 2025-01-18
In the glass
The colour was a medium-intensity ruby, and the nose was medium-plus in intensity. I found black plum, cedar, black pepper, smoke and charred wood, then dried plum, a jammy note, tobacco, mushroom, earth and dry leaves, with the fruit seeming less fresh by comparison. On the palate it was dry, with medium acidity, medium body, medium-plus tannin and high alcohol, and a medium finish led by dried fruit. I would call it very good, ready to drink now but not one to keep for further ageing.
Producer
The winery, Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, traces back to 1924, when Ramón Bilbao registered his trademark in Haro and founded his winery. In 1999 the family business Zamora Company joined Bodegas Ramón Bilbao, and Rodolfo Bastida, now the winemaker and winery director, became involved that year. In 2018 the company became the first Spanish company to receive the Wineries for Climate Protection certification, for both the winery and the vineyards.
Site
The producer's technical sheet places the vineyards in Rioja Alta, in vines over 60 years old in the villages of Ábalos (Caramonte), on sandy soil derived from weathered parent rock, and Labastida (Carrapaciña), on sandy and alluvial soils. The blend is led by Tempranillo.
Vinification
The Gran Reserva is made only in outstanding vintages, from grapes selected for a balance of ripeness and acidity that allows extended ageing. The producer's sheet describes a cold maceration of 4 days, followed by controlled fermentation lasting up to 16 days, with malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks. The wine is then aged 30 months in 225-litre American oak barrels and a further 48 months in bottle.