Ramon Bilbao The Journey Collection Reserva

Intense garnet red with light brick-red tones on the rim. The bouquet unfolds from the first moment, balsamic notes from the wood over a chocolate and coconut background, all of it surrounded with ripen red fruit preserve. It is quite obvious the tobacco and cedar wood presence as well. The palate is full, slightly astringent and with a vivid acidity. Hints of cocoa and roasted wood strengthen, and the persistent finish create a mix difficult to describe: Cigar box, fruit preserve, spice, liquorice, broom, leather.

Bodegas Ramón Bilbao was founded in 1926 by Ramón Bilbao Murga, an experienced wine trader who had been selling wine since 1896 from premises at Calle Las Cuevas in Haro. Bilbao was a forward-looking grape grower and a pioneer in the art of ageing. The winery was handed down from one generation to the next until the year 1966, when Ramón Bilbao Pozo, last of the descendants, died. In 1972 the business was converted into a corporation with new shareholders, and new facilities were built, also in Haro. The new company wished to continue the work of its founder, and concentrated on making aged wines. In 1999, the family business of Diego Zamora, S.A., one of the largest beverage groups in Spain and owner of the well-known brand Licor 43, acquired the winery and began a new venture, renovating and adapting existing facilities. The development of top-quality wines, together with innovation while respecting the purest Rioja tradition represented by the history of the wines of Ramón Bilbao, are the trademark of this emblematic company in Rioja Alta. The philosophy that inspires the work carried out at the winery is the same philosophy that has prevailed, generation after generation.