Abel Mendoza Grano A Grano Tempranillo Rioja 2018

• 100% Tempranillo
• “Grano a Grano” literally means “Grape by Grape”. Each cluster of fruit is destemmed by hand
• The aim is to make a more serious wine where intracellular fermentation starts inside the berries and then the fruit is stomped by foot.
• Fermented in small tanks of no more than 1,200 kgs.
• After alcoholic fermentation, the skins are pressed into new 500-liter French oak barrels.
• Malolactic fermentation takes place in the barrel and the wine aged for 18 months before being bottled.

Not Yet Rated but here is the 2017 & 2018 review

2018: 96 pts Luis Guttierrez Robert Park Wine AdvocateI'm amazed at the aromatics of the 2018 Tempranillo Grano A Grano, with notes of orange peel and flowers, incredibly aromatic and nuanced for a Tempranillo. The grapes were hand-destemmed in order to avoid the effect of a destemmer that might rip the grapes open and to keep them intact to make them go through a semi-carbonic maceration that generates a lot of aromas. As with the other wines, he is using more and more 500-liter oak barrels, and the oaking is subtler and the élevage 18 months. It has a vibrant palate, and the wine is very lively, with freshness and pungent flavors. 2,621 bottles were filled in May 2020.

2017: 94 pts Luis Guttierrez Robert Park Wine Advocate
“The nose of the 2017 Tempranillo Grano A Grano shows more nuance and especially more floral aromas than the Selección Especial from this same vintage, which is also Tempranillo. “Grano a grano” means “grain by grain” in Spanish, as the grapes for this range are hand-destemmed to avoid the effect of a destemmer that might rip open the grapes. So, the perfect grapes go through a semi-carbonic maceration that extracts a different range of aromas, and I found some common aromas with the Jarrarte Maceración Carbónica here. 2017 was a very challenging year, and the wine shows the effect of the élevage in 500-liter oak barrels that lasted 18 months. 2,375 bottles were filled in May 2019.