- Grape: Tinto Velasco
- Alcohol: 14%
- Wine: Erosivo
- Vintage: 2020
- Winery: Vinos en Voz Baja
- Region: Rioja
- Location: Calahorra, Rioja, Spain
- Date: 4/16/23
- Distributor: Mil Caminos Imports
Curious Synonyms: Graciano de Alfaro, Velasco, Blasco, Benitillo, Frasco
Nerd Alert: This grape is known in la Rioja Baja and it wasn’t until the early 1990’s that it was demonstrated it wasn’t really Graciano. It is considered a spanish varietal even though it is not recognized as an authorized varietal in any D.O. in Spain. Very similar profile to Tempranillo but the berries are larger and matures later. First reference was identified in the early 19th Century written by Rojas Clemente, the famous naturalist from Valencia.
Personal Note: I broke my rule again. At this point I should just call them guidelines but I have a good reason to have done it. See, this wine is 70% Tinto Velasco. So why am I reviewing it here knowingly? Well, mainly because this grape pretty much doesn’t exist and to find a wine with 70% is short of a natural marvel. And did I mention you can find this wine in Puerto Rico? My good friend Dr. Carlos Fraga is distributing this wine and if you live here, you should try it. Period. It’s a Rioja wine from a grape you never heard from before. But there’s more. The other 30% is made up of Pasera, a white and also extremely rare grape anywhere in the world. Normally I would have placed this wine on the Rare Blends list, but again, I’m fairly certain I won’t find a wine with a larger percentage of Tinto Velasco, so that’s why it made the list.
This wine itself had a beautiful color while the nose took a bit to open, but when it did it was violets and a perfume of red fruits because of the elegance it projected. And on palate, it was well balanced, rounded tannins, medium body, and long finish. It’s a great curve for blind tastings. I also did the thing where I left like 1/4 of the bottle for the next day, and it was intact on both aromas and palate. That’s quality.
Have you tried this grape?
