The red 2019 Gabatxo was produced with a blend of 40% Garnacha, half from Rioja Alta and the other half from Rioja Baja, 40% Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa and 20% Graciano from Rioja Alavesa fermented separately, the Garnacha with full clusters, the rest destemmed and blended after fermentation finished. It matured in second-year oak vats for one year. Alcohol is 14%, and there's integrated acidity. This feels a little different from the rest of the reds and shows a little ripe. This is a little different from the 2018, more aromatic and open, straightforward, but with a serious palate with chalky tannins. 22,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021.
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Olivier Riviere Gabaxo 2019 750ml
Rated 92 by Wine Advocate
The red 2019 Gabatxo was produced with a blend of 40% Garnacha, half from Rioja Alta and the other half from Rioja Baja, 40% Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa and 20% Graciano from Rioja Alavesa fermented separately, the Garnacha with full clusters, the rest destemmed and blended after fermentation finished. It matured in second-year oak vats for one year. Alcohol is 14%, and there's integrated acidity. This feels a little different from the rest of the reds and shows a little ripe. This is a little different from the 2018, more aromatic and open, straightforward, but with a serious palate with chalky tannins. 22,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021.
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• Gabaxo is Olivier’s only wine that blends fruit from a range of sites within Rioja. The Tempranillo is from Rioja Alavesa, planted on a rocky, clay-limestone soil at an elevation of 500 meters above sea level. The Garnacha is from a site near Cárdenas in Rioja Alta on red clay at 600 meters. Gabaxo is a not completely flattering term for a French border jumper – a nickname that Olivier embraces with pride. Olivier considers Gabaxo to be his Côte de Nuits version of Rioja.
• Hand harvested, whole cluster natural yeast fermentation in concrete vats.
• 12 months in foudre and 500L French oak demi-muids.