2009 Viña Tobia Joven Rioja

Rioja is great in all of its numerous iterations: Briefly aged, fruity crianzas, more intense and deeply flavored reservas, elegant slowly aged gran reservas. Joven, Spanish for "young," is typically an unoaked style of Rioja. What joven Rioja should be about (though it seldom is) is bright, crunchy, expressive Tempranillo fruit, ready to perhaps pop in the fridge for 30 minutes before drinking with charcuterie, tapas, pizza, you name it. After searching for a long time for a joven style Rioja we could really get excited about and promote heavily, we finally found one in the Bodegas Tobia. Produced from all estate fruit, vinified in tank with a well employed semi-carbonic maceration, this is Rioja to drink now. Simply put, this is delicious. Not too much jargon or talk about the fruits you'll be tasting, I know, but sometimes it's just about deliciousness and quaffability, which this wine provides admirably well. Now grab some bottles and get ready for as snappy, and purely fruit driven a Rioja drinking experience as you have enjoyed in a long while.