red grape
Mazuelo (Cariñena / Carignan)
Spanish variety from Aragón (Cariñena), known internationally as Carignan
Very late-ripening and vigorous, needing heat to ripen; naturally high in acidity, tannin, and colour, which is exactly what it is kept for in Rioja blends.
Structure tendencies
- body
- medium
- tannin
- medium-plus to high
- acidity
- medium-plus to high
- alcohol
- medium
tendencies in prose, as read by critics/consensus — not measured ordinals
Classic descriptors
fruit
red cherry
in your cellar: 3 bottlesChâteau Léoville-Poyferré 2005Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2010Massolino Barolo 2016red currant
in your cellar: 3 bottlesLes Forts de Latour 2017Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2016Château Gloria 2020floral & herbal
dried herbs
in your cellar: 8 bottlesMayacamas Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2019L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020Château Larmande 2005Bodegas Manzanos Gran Reserva Rioja 2015Château Laroque 2022Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2010Massolino Barolo 2016Château Pontet-Canet 2022earth & mineral
iron
in your cellar: 11 bottlesLes Forts de Latour 2017Château Pontet-Canet 2021Château Feytit-Clinet 2015Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2016Château Léoville-Poyferré 2005Mayacamas Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2019Château Larmande 2005Bodegas Manzanos Gran Reserva Rioja 2015Château Gloria 2020Massolino Barolo 2016Château Pontet-Canet 2022oak & spice
black pepper
in your cellar: 1 bottleChâteau Pontet-Canet 2021A seasoning grape in Rioja (typically a few percent): its acid and tannin stiffen Tempranillo for long Gran Reserva ageing.