critic reviews
Sandalwood, vanilla bean spice, peony flowers, raspberry, black cherry, cloves, so juicy and characterful, with precise, integrated tannins even at this early stage in a hot and dry vintage. Aged French oak, tiny percentage of new oak. Harvested at the end of September over two days. Grapes from the Carromaza plot in the village of Villalba, RIoja Alta, winemaker Maria Larrea.
The 2022 Real de Asúa is 100% Tempranillo sourced from the Carromaza vineyard in Villalba. A distinctive single-vineyard wine, it's garnet-red in hue with glints of purple. This opens with aromas of plum, cherry and subtle barrel aging, followed by delicate herbal notes that become more pronounced with time. Juicy and expressive, with ultra-fine tannins and a supple palate that flows into a long, fruit-laden finish. This has gentle grip that lends structure without weight. The 2022 is a polished, graceful Rioja of impressive depth and finesse.
The 2022 Real de Asua is a wine that changed in 2018, when they started producing it exclusively with Tempranillo from the lieu-dit Carromaza in the village of Villalba. 2020 saw a short cycle, and the grapes were picked on September 27 and 28. After a cold soak, the grapes fermented in small oak vats with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic was in French oak barrels, and the aging was in new and second-use barriques and lasted 12 months. This is serious, harmonious, insinuating and nuanced, with subtle complexity. It's fresh and develops more complexity as it open up in the glass, with notes of flowers and spices, hints of pine cones and wild herbs. This is very integrated, compact and seamless, with very fine tannins, polished and elegant. It's a triumph over the conditions of the year. 12,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2025. 2022 was a challenging year; they still don't know if they are going to make Imperial, but they have produced Real de Asua.