Ramon Bilbao Rioja Gran Reserva 2016 vs Thousand Candles Gathering Field Red 2019
Compare current tracked prices, stockists and core specifications.
| Availability | In stock | In stock |
|---|---|---|
| Best current price | £25.96 | £25.96 |
| Current stockists | 1 merchant | 1 merchant |
| Producer | Ramon Bilbao | Thousand Candles |
| Style | Red | Red |
| Grape | Tempranillo | Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec |
| Region | Rioja | Yarra Valley |
| Country | Spain | Australia |
| Size | 750ml | 750ml |
| Where to buy |
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Ramon Bilbao Rioja Gran Reserva 2016
' Ramon Bilbao is a renowned Spanish winery based in Rioja, known for producing high-quality wines that blend tradition with innovation. Established in 1924, the winery specializes in crafting elegant, complex wines, with a focus on Tempranillo grapes. Their top-tier wine, Mirto, is made from old vines in select vineyards and is produced only in exceptional years, reflecting the excellence and craftsmanship that define the Ramon Bilbao legacy. The vineyards are over 60 years old and located in Rioja Alta, in the villages of Ãbalos (Caramonte) with sandy soils, and Labastida (Carrapacina) with sandy and alluvial soils. The grapes were selected for their specific acidity and pH, ensuring longevity. The grapes were cold macerated for 4 days, followed by controlled fermentation for 16 days. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks, aged for 30 months in 225-liter American oak barrels, and then spent 48 months aging in the bottle. The 2016 season had a very cold winter and a rainy spring, with flowering starting 15 days later than usual. A hot, dry summer helped finish the growing season, leading to a high-quality harvest. The harvest began in the third week of September, and the vintage was rated ''Very Good'' by the Regulatory Council. '
Thousand Candles Gathering Field Red 2019
' Thousand Candles is a premium estate in the heart of the Yarra Valley. Its name comes from a 19th century account by a European settler, who witnessed an ancient indigenous ceremony that granted free passage into the lands around the property to various tribes. Describing the tribesman dramatically holding aloft their firesticks, he remarked that it was as if the ˜twilight of the evening had been interrupted by a thousand candles...'.Viticulturist Stuart Proud works organically and biodynamically (though uncertified) and with as little intervention in the winery as possible. Red Blend ''The fruit for this wine comes from our high density vineyard planted with Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. The block has 7353 vines per hectare. Row width is 1.6m. Vines are spaced 80cm apart. The cordon wire is 50cm above the ground. We planted the block in this way to really allow the site and soil to be truly expressed in the wine. Planted in 2011 and 2012 the vines are coming into the beginning of their prime and showing an intensity of flavour and fine tannins. Each year the proportion of varieties in the blend is different but always from the same block and high density, low yielding vines. All fruit was hand picked, sorted, destemmed and fermented in small batches for 3 weeks with only an occasional pump over. Aged in older French barriques and hogsheads for 9 months.'' '
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