2018 Bodegas Casa Juan Señor de Lesmos Crianza Rioja

This is the little wine that can. I know that just about every bottle of this Crianza that is purchased will be consumed within a short period of time of that purchase, but I want to tell you, that this “simple” wine has tons of aging potential. During the COVID lock down I discovered a 2009 bottle of this wine lost in my collection. The wine was awesome! It still had great fruit, spice and liveliness. Now I am not going to tell you to buy a case and hold onto it for 8 years, but I will not talk you out of it either. The 18 is delicious. It is a classic Lesmos from a classic vintage. The blend is the same as it always is 85% Tempranillo with the remainder Manzuelo. It was aged for 14 months in oak, then blended and bottled. This has that great mix of dark and red fruits, spice, and a subtle but distinctive earthiness. There is enough tannin and acid to give it poise but not enough to require time or very rich food (not that either would be a bad call).