Viña Pomal, Rioja Crianza 2016

€16.99

Whopper! And in short supply...!

This is a rare opportunity to get to show the Reserva-maniac in your life that there is life in other styles... this is a delicious, perfectly-aged and wonderfully smooth Crianza from a winery we have been working with for a good few years.

In the normal course of things, a Crianza's bottling run is quick and the sell-through is fast enough not to have older stocks knocking about the place. However, this can mean that you don't get to see how well Crianza wines can age.

This is a super case in point, because the Crianza here is over 6 years old, which is older than most commercially available Reservas! How come? Because I know some people who hadn't sold through their allocation of this Crianza before more came into their warehouse and they offered it to me!

This 6-year old Crianza now shows a lovely, softening richness of fruit in the palate and has a super array of maturing fruit characteristics - overripe dark strawberries with some dried berry, nutmeg and cinnamon spices developing, while the original vanilla still kicks around at the back. It's so tasty that you'll not believe it at the price point.

Lesson to learn? Try and find older Crianzas as they will often cost less than Reservas and offer similar thrills for less! Certainly when they come from a winery as good as this.

Second lesson to learn? Keep a look out for when I buy older stocks of wine - there's always a bargain and the quality will always be better than it should be!

The winery...

Made from 100% Tempranillo grapes, this is a hands-on winery, with sustainable practices, hand-harvesting in their vineyards and an area of over 120 hectares. With winery roots back to 1904, they have significant expertise and now have vines up to fifty years old, forming the backbone of their excellent wines.

Pomal is now part of the Bodegas Bilbainas who operate 15 wineries altogether. This group in turn is owned by the Raventos family who have it under the Cordoniù Cava house... complex, but it works in order to make sure that these specialist, niche wineries don't get overlooked and that their significant contributions to Spain's rich history is preserved and that their future potential is nurtured. Which is genuinely a good thing.

Aged in the winery, in Haro in the Rioja Alta subzone, it spent 12 months in American oak barrels and now a further five years in bottle!

Region: Rioja

Country: Spain

Grape(s): Tempranillo

Style: Svelte, Sustainable, Soft, Smooth, Silky, Medium Full, Juicy, Fleshy, Elegant, Dark, Complex, Bright

Best food matches: Roasts, Red Meats, Mature Cheeses, Charcuterie

Alcohol: 14%

Why buy from us?

When you buy wine from The Allotment Wine Co. you're helping a small Irish company that in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers who grow the grapes and make amazing wines. We only work with partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.

Delivery & Returns

You'll get free delivery when you buy 12 x 75cl bottles of wine online from The Allotment, saving you €7.99.

We charge €7.99 per delivery for quantities less than that.

Our hours for processing orders are between 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

We pack your online wine order along the following timelines:

Wine orders for delivery in Dublin, received before 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected the next working day.

Wine orders for nationwide delivery, received by 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected two working days later.

Customer reviews

★★★★★
Great choice and excellent service. Received my delivery the next day.
Paul H.
★★★★★
Amazing service from the get go!
I emailed Chris looking for wine recommendations for a birthday gift. Got a really speedy, helpful reply and not only that but he hand delivered it on time to the birthday girl wishing her a happy birthday. Absolutely bowled over by the service. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Michelle McM.
★★★★★
Could not recommend The Allotment enough. The selection is fantastic and each wine that I've drank from them has been utterly phenomenal. Delivery was no hassle and I had the wine at my door in 2 days. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Luke B.
★★★★★
Good range of interesting wines. Good personal attention to their orders. Very customer focused. I would be happy to recommend this company to any prospective customer.
Jim D.
★★★★★
A great experience ordering from The Allotment Wine Company. A wide variety of wines to try something new and at good prices with super quick delivery! Really convenient too as opposed to trying to find parking!
N. Dowling
★★★★★
Delicious and interesting range of wines delivered promptly to my door. Not far off that lovely feeling of coming back laden from a good wine store but without any of the traffic or the worry of breaking the wine en route (very impressive travel wrap).
M. Dorman
★★★★★
Chris fields a fine range of excellent, keenly-priced wines. Orders are safely packaged and dispatched efficiently and promptly. Strongly recommended.
David M.
★★★★★
Great selection of wines, hassle free ordering, payment and delivery. Highly recommended.
Patrick H.
Hi, I'm Chris Gifford.

And you're very welcome to The Allotment Wine Co.

When you wine from me, you're supporting a small Irish business which in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers, as well as other small, dedicated Irish wine importers.

When selecting wines, I look for partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.