1995 El Coto de Rioja, Rioja "Vino Tinto de Crianza"

Bodega El Coto is relatively new, having only been founded in 1970. But in short order, they’ve become one of the most important addresses in Rioja. They now farm hundreds of hectares across all three subzones and have led a mini-renaissance for white wine in the region. The scale of the place is frankly unbelievable, with individual cellars designated for the production of specific cuvées, two cellars for barrel aging, and two for bottle aging. With El Coto’s size comes the ability to really drill down into the nuances of Rioja, and to take chances other wineries cannot. It takes a lot of tasting experience to know when a young wine should be laid down for three decades. And despite sizable annual production, El Coto is resolutely committed to the old way of doing things. They focus exclusively on indigenous varieties and, in the old manner, use a mixture of French and American oak in their long elevage regimen. Why You’ll Love it This is Rioja unadorned – 100% Tempranillo, aged in