Dux Imperial Gran Reserva |-| Mighty wine for a budget

In your glass, a deep ruby-red wine. Rich, highly layered aromas of dark berries, plums, spices and fine oak. A very elegant taste with a delicate balance between acidity and tannins. A smooth and full body with a kick in the fairly long finish. A pleasant and well-tasting wine at a friendly price. Made mainly from garnacha grapes grown in Zaragoza, Aragon in Cariñena, Spain. (partly contains cariñena and tempranillo)
Vivino 4/5

To serve with:
A wonderful wine with chateaubriand, grilled lamb, hard cheeses or washed-rind cheeses, and game dishes. Continuing to drink this wine after the meal will extend the pleasure of the dining experience.

Storage:
The wine is enjoyable young but can certainly age for several more years, although I would not wait too long.

Extra information:
A Spanish Gran Reserva means the wine has aged for a total of 5 years. It spends 18–24 months in barrel followed by 3 more years of bottle ageing before being released.

Dux means leader, and this wine certainly earns that title at this price point.

On the bottle you can find the plot number, indicating the exact origin of the grapes.

Bodegas San Valero Dux Imperial Gran Reserva from Cariñena, Spain. Notes of plums and dark cherries with an alcohol content of 15%. Smooth and full body with a kick. A pleasant and tasty wine for a friendly price.

Garnacha, the most widely planted red grape in Spain. Excellent for blends, although the best garnacha wines come from Priorat, often as a monocépage. Garnacha is an important component of traditional Rioja (up to 30%). In France this grape is almost always used as part of a blend. It is a true Mediterranean grape, thriving in warm climates and changing names depending on the region.

The vine is resistant to many diseases. The grape has a thin skin with little pigment. It prefers poor, dry soils rich in stones or gravel. Low in tannins and prone to oxidation, so generally not a wine for long ageing. Garnacha wines are characterised by a very fruity, almost sweet taste with blackberry, cherry, kirsch, coffee, cocoa, fig and pepper notes. They contain little acidity.

Awards:

• 92/100 James Suckling for the 2014 vintage