The Akutain Crianza is comprised of mostly Tempranillo with Garnacha. It is fermented in steel vats with native yeasts, and then raised for 1 year and 9 months in used American oak barrels, with an additional year in the bottle before release - far exceeding the Rioja D.O.'s aging requirements for Crianza wines.
With almost 40 years of experience under their belt, Bodega Akutain produces classically-styled Rioja wines exclusively from their own 6.5ha of vineyards located near the town of Haro, in the subzone Rioja Alta, widely considered to be the most prestigious terruno for producing age-worthy Rioja wines. Founded by Juan Jose Peñagaricano Akutain, the bodega is now run by his son, Jon Penagaricano. Artisan in all aspects of production, Akutain hand harvests, ferments with native yeasts with little extraction, and works with very little new oak. The resultant wines are throwbacks to Rioja's past. 12.5 to 13% alcohol, beautifully aromatic, nuanced, and age-worthy.
