Viña Amezola Gran Reserva 2006

This Gran Reserva is a wine for when you want when you want to show a favourite film but without dramatizing things. Its leather, spicy, tobacco character is like Humphrey Bogart looking over your shoulder from his arm chair in Hollywood golden years. Classic like Clark Gable yet with fine elegance of Grace Kelly. It's a wine that carries age with poise and distinction.

Mr Bogart once said- 'The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind'.

Bodegas Amezola de la Mora was established in the mid 19th century and is one of Rioja's oldest and finest wine estates. Restored in the early 1980's by the flamboyant Iñigo Amezola de la Mora, this estate is extremely unsusual in that it owns all of its vines. The 65 hecatres of vineyards, planted with Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano, benefit from a high altitude and cooler climate and yield elegant, classic wines packed full of harmonious red berry and vanilla flavours. Iñigo was killed in 1999 in a car crash however his wife Kitty and bodega manager Julio Galarreta have continued making outstanding wines, supported by renowned Bordeaux winemaker, Georges Pauli. It is also being run by sisters Cristina and Maria Amezola and at the time of their fathers death they were the youngest wine producers in the region of Rioja however this did not deter them from their goal of pursuing their father's ambitions. Their enthusiasm and high diligence to producing wines of the highest quality have since earned them an enviable place in Rioja. The winery perfectly combines the qualities associated with tradition and innovation. They produce Rioja wines which are more of a classic whilst also releasing two modern styles of wines following the advice of Georges Pauli.