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Boris· Kyiv
Etérea Kripan
Carrakripan
2019
4.2
Region
Spain › La Rioja › Rioja Alavesa › Rioja DOCa
Type
white · still
Grapes
Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca, Malvasía Riojana
Alcohol
14%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes(1)
4.2
Tasted blind and guessed Rioja. Looked like a clean orange wine at first - then it became clear this is all about oxidation. Multifaceted, full-bodied, fresh, buttery. Ripe fruit dominates the nose with dried herbs and hints of toasted bread. Still fresh, good volume, a touch of oak tannin. Can't help wondering what time will reveal.
About
Carrakripan is the flagship white of Etérea Kripan, Melanie Hickman's label inside the Bodegas Bhilar project. A skin-fermented white field blend - mostly Viura (Macabeo) plus some Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca - from a 50+ year-old vineyard at over 600 metres in Kripan village, Rioja Alavesa. Tiny production, around 2,200 bottles. 14% ABV. 2019 was the Rioja Consejo's highest "Excelente" tier, often dubbed the vintage of the modern era - warm and dry growing season, small berries, low yields, with the Consejo emphasising the balance between pH, acidity, and alcohol despite slightly elevated alcohols overall.