Graciano

**Graciano** is a red grape from Spain's Rioja region, most often used in small proportions to add backbone and lift to blends built around Tempranillo. Long overlooked because it ripens late and yields stingily, it has enjoyed a quiet revival among growers chasing complexity. **In the glass** — deeply coloured and marked by bright, high acidity, firm tannin and dark aromas of blackberry, violet and dried herbs, with a savoury, almost peppery edge. It brings freshness and grip rather than plush fruit. **Where it grows** — its heartland is Rioja and neighbouring Navarra, where it seasons Tempranillo-led wines, and it appears under the name Morrastel and as a varietal bottling from a handful of ambitious estates. Australia and California also grow small plots. **At the table** — excellent with roast lamb, grilled red meats or aged sheep's-milk cheese. **Cellaring** — its acidity and tannin make it a good keeper, and quality bottlings can improve for a decade or more.

Wines

• 200 Monges Reserva — Bodegas Vinícola Real
• Arienzo Crianza — Marqués de Riscal
• Aro — Muga
• Colón — Bodegas Mugas (Muga)
• Conde Valdemar Gran Reserva — Bodegas Valdemar
• Contino Gran Reserva — Bodegas y Viñedos del Contino
• Contino Reserva — Bodegas y Viñedos del Contino
• Crianza — Marqués de Cáceres
• Cune Reserva — CVNE
• Discovery Road Graciano Rosé — Gibsons
• Ditch Digger — Denner Vineyards
• Don Jacobo Gran Reserva — Bodegas Corral
• Edition Noir Graciano — Cassegrain
• Egomei — Finca Egomei
• Faustino I Gran Reserva — Bodegas Faustino
• Fernández de Piérola Gran Reserva — Bodegas Fernández de Piérola
• Finca Ygay Reserva — Marqués de Murrieta
• Gaudium — Marqués de Cáceres
• Graciano Coyote Canyon Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills — Shady Grove
• Gran Reserva — Finca Almendral