Marqués de Butrago Crianza 2013

Go to any good wine bar in Rioja in northern Spain and the style everyone wants in their glass is Crianza. Why? Because it gives you a decent drop of oak-aged complexity at a very attractive price. And this one delivers more than most as it was left in the barrel for a full 12 months – it’s effectively Rioja Reserva in all but name. It's from brothers David and Victor Manzanos, who learned to make fine Rioja at their father’s knee. It is a classic Crianza, made from richly concentrated fruit from the family’s highest vineyards and aged for a year in French oak barrels, then for two years in bottle. From an officially ‘excellent’ vintage, this versatile Crianza is just as good with simple tapas and meaty paellas as it is with rack of lamb.