Artadi Vinas de Gain 1998

Bright, clean ruby. Blackcurrant, licorice and a pencil-shaving minerality on the nose, with a faint undercurrent of charred wood. Light-footed on the palate, crisp acidity carries a modest frame without strain, and the whole thing holds together neatly. An unpretentious, honest Rioja built for the dinner table rather than the cellar.