Altos de la Guardia Tempranillo Rioja 2023

From Spain's Winery of the Year 2018, with 300 Golds, this is a lightly oaked, bright-fruit Rioja Having made Trophy-winning wines at other people’s cellars for 25 years, in 2006 our head winemaker, Jean-Marc Sauboua, decided to buy his own winery. Despite being Bordeaux-born, he chose Rioja (his mother was from Spain), with the sole aim of making a Grand Cru style of wine. He has since won 300 Golds, four Trophies and many more awards besides. In 2016, they moved into a custom-built winery in Elvillar. There he has a great team in place, headed up by winemaker Amaia Amestoy. They work closely with growers, whose vineyards are the highest in the region. High altitude adds elegance and intensity to the fruit, while ageing mostly in French oak lends a more subtle layer of toasty vanilla. Open early and serve with chicken, tapas or paella.