We love Rioja in this country, especially Rioja Reserva, but we tend to concentrate our purchases exclusively on the red wines ... Cutting yields and ageing the wine in oak barrels, as done ...

I preferred the Rioja reds, which were 100% tempranillo, rather than a blend. I like a black fruit/jammy red wine eg shiraz/malbec so if this is what you like you may feel the same way.