Armit Wines has added Martelo 2012 – a new wine from Torre de Oña in Rioja Alavesa (part of the La Rioja Alta S.A. stable), to its Spanish wine menu.
Martelo 2012, a single vineyard reserva, is a blend of 95% Tempranillo and 5% a traditional field blend of Mazuelo, Garnach and Viura that has spent 24 months in oak - 80% of which was American with the remaining 20% French.
Produced by 60-year-old vines from “meticulously chosen” vineyard sites, Armit Wines said the newcomer was the result of 20 years work in the vineyards at Torre de Oña and was considered to be “the best on the property”.
“The 2012 meets all of my criteria for Martelo - it was a fresh vintage with pleasant tannins and long, unhurried and balanced ripening,” said Julio Sáenz, winemaker at La Rioja Alta S.A.
Sáenz personally selected each vineyard plot to go into the wine, which she said had been bottled after extensive ageing in March last year.
Describing the tipple as “a breath of fresh air”, James Snoxell, head of buying at Armit Wines, said: “Martelo clearly demonstrates the expertise and competence of the whole team at the winery and the extensive knowledge they have of such a unique and special terroir.”
Available now with a £35 price tag per bottle, Martelo 2012 sits at the top of the La Rioja Alta, Alavesa range alongside Torre de Oña Reserva and Finca San Martin Crianza.