Viña Pomal Gran Reserva returns to 1904 label

Bodegas Bilbainas has revived the original label of its Viña Pomal Gran Reserva for the release of the 2010 vintage.

Vina Pomal Gran Reserva 2010 featuring the historic brand label

Rated ‘excellent’ by the Rioja Control Board, the Viña Pomal Gran Reserva 2010, the flagship wine of Bodegas Bilbainas, features the classic gold Viña Pomal label first used by the brand in 1904.

A classic Rioja blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, the Gran Reserva is aged for 24 months in American oak barrels, 12 months in oak vats and 36 months in bottle. The wine is described by winemaker Alejandro López as possessing “a complex, elegant nose with notes of liquorice and red fruit, typical of the Tempranillo, along with hints of spices subtly added by the Graciano.

To these notes are added toasty and balsamic aromas – vanilla, pepper, tobacco – contributed by the long barrel ageing, the winemaker added.

Of the outstanding 2010 vintage in Rioja, López, said: “This is one of the best vintages we’ve seen for almost 20 years. Low temperatures and rains during flowering had a positive affect on ripening.

“This, coupled with a hot, dry summer and rain in September, provided optimum ripening conditions and allowed us to start picking early. It was an extraordinary year resulting in balanced, very aromatic, well-structured wines.”

An archive image of one of the first vintages Viña Pomal Gran Reserva – offered as a gift to Sir Winston Churchill 

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Viña Pomal is produced at Bodegas Bilbainas, one of the oldest wineries in Rioja. Dating back to 1901, it was one of the original 10 registered Rioja wineries and today is the oldest in existence.

With more than 250 hectares, Bodegas Bilbainas has the largest vineyard holding in the Rioja Alta district and is one of the few wineries in Rioja to have its own vineyards surrounding the winery.

This ‘château’ model allows for greater control of each vintage, enhancing quality and reducing the transit time between picking and delivery to the winery.

The first vintage of Viña Pomal was 1904. Recent vintages of the wine have carried a similar label to the brand’s reserva wine.

In the 1940s, such was the popularity of Viña Pomal wines in the UK that bottling took place in Charing Cross in London. Around this time, Viña Pomal was reputed to have been the favourite Rioja of Sir Winston Churchill.