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

• Colón — Bodegas Mugas (Muga)
• Conde Valdemar Gran Reserva — Bodegas Valdemar
• Cune Rioja Reserva — Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE)
• Faustino I Gran Reserva — Bodegas Faustino
• Faustino I Gran Reserva — Faustino Martínez
• Fernández de Piérola Gran Reserva — Bodegas Fernández de Piérola
• Gran Reserva — Finca Almendral
• Gran Reserva — Campo Viejo
• Gran Reserva — Beronia
• Gran Reserva — Cerro Añon
• Imperial Reserva — Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE)
• Magister Bibendi Reserva Graciano — Bodegas Navarrsotillo
• Mediodía Rosado — Inurrieta
• Reserva — Ramón Bilbao
• Reserva — Herederos del Marqués de Riscal
• Reserva — Marqués de Murrieta
• Reserva — Viña Tondonia (R. López de Heredia)
• Reserva — Beronia
• Reserva — Remelluri
• Reserva — Marqués de Riscal