By Bodegas Ugalde
Bianai Rioja Reserva 2017

Wine Details
Wine: Bianai Reserva
Vintage: 2017
Grapes: Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo
Region: D.O.C. Rioja - Spain

Tasting Notes
Clean and bright cherry red. On the nose, intense fruit is accompanied by toasted aromas, toffee, and vanilla. On the palate, it is full, velvety, and well balanced.

Viticulture
The grapes for this wine come from a 50-year-old vineyard situated on the slopes of the Sierra de Cantabria, as well as a 15-year-old one placed within the estate. The work on the vineyards has specifically focused on achieving a healthy fruit with a total phenolic ripeness. This has resulted in a well-structured wine on the palate, with a powerful nose full of fruit aromas.

Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation for eight days. Maceration in contact with the skin for seven days. Fermentation temperature 28 degrees C. Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

Aging
Two-year American oak barrel aging is used, with 5% of the wine in French oak, followed by a minimum of twelve months of bottle aging prior to release.

Technical Details
Harvest: October 2017
Alcohol Percentage: 14.00%
pH: 3.48
Residual Sugar: Less than 2.00 g/l
Total Acidity: 5.90 g/l
[Information provided by V and N Cellars]

Bodegas Ugalde 2017 Bianai Reserva (Rioja)
Rating: 92
Price: $45
Designation: Bianai Reserva
Variety: Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
Appellation: Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain
Winery: Bodegas Ugalde
Alcohol: 14.00%
Bottle Size: 750.00 ml
Category: Red
Importer: 4Front Imports, LLC
Date Published: 7/1/2022
Reviewed by: Mike DeSimone
Deep garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of blackberry, black currant and roasted yellow pepper. Slightly stiff tannins offer support to richly contrasting flavors of dark plum and strawberry mingling with notes of salted Marcona almond, sun-dried tomato and smoke. What seems to be a gum-drying finish is revived by the return of bright fruit on the palate.

Bodegas Ugalde, Bianai, Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2017
Producer: Bodegas Ugalde
Wine name: Bianai
Region: Rioja
Country: Spain
Award: Silver
Score: 90
Colour: Red
Style: Still - Dry (below 5 g/L residual sugar)
Bottle size: 75cl
Closure: Natural Cork
Alcohol level: 14.00%
Grape composition: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo
Tasting notes: Aromatic and savoury with dried tomato and red fried notes. Juicy with grippy tannins, sweet fruit and a long, spicy finish.

2017 Bianai Reserva
Producer: Bodegas Ugalde
Place of Origin: Rioja, Spain
Color: Red
Grape/Blend: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo
Importer/Producer: USA: V&N Cellars - vncellars.com; Boutique Wine Collection - boutiquewines.info
Rating: 89
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2026
From: Rioja: The Past Is Always Present (Apr 2021)
Reviewed By: Josh Raynolds on June 2021
Bright ruby. Zesty, oak-spiced red berries and cherry on the nose and palate. Lithe and sharply focused, showing a tangy edge on the taut, subtly tannic finish.