MacRobert & Canals, La Nave, Rioja, Spain (2020)

TASTING NOTES

A little reductive at first, this wine opens up with an elegant nose of red & black cherry and black currant. Medium body, acidity and palate with soft tannins and a lovely florality across the long finish.

Bryan MacRobert originally hails from Swartland, South Africa, where he grew up and learned to cultivate vineyards and produce wine while studying viticulture and oenology at South Africa's Stellenbosch University.

His travels after graduating took him to Rioja, Spain, where fell in love with the region's winemaking town of Logroño and later moved there to launch the MacRobert & Canals winery. 

MacRobert & Canals work with small plots of 40 to 90-year old vines.The winery operates with the guiding philosophy of producing wines with the highest quality grapes, that transmit the diversity and rich cultural heritage of Rioja. 

The vineyards are worked using traditional methods. All grapes hand-harvested, hand-sorted and fermented in temperature-regulated tanks, allowing for better control of each fermentation.

With a focus on soil and plant health and a return to artisanal winemaking, MacRobert and Canals wines are an elegant and welcome antithesis to factory winemaking.