Casa La Rad Solarce Tinto - 2018 (750ml)

Made from a blend of 60% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha, 5% Maturana and 5% Cabernet; all organically farmed and estate-grown.

91 points Tim Atkin MW

As perfumed as it is intriguing, the Solarce Tinto is an unusual cuvée of mostly Tempranillo with the remaining 60% divided between Graciano, Garnacha, Maturana and Cabernet Sauvignon. Smooth and grassy, with cassis and green herb aromas and a smooth, glossy, stylishly oaked palate. 2022-28 - Tim Atkin; Rioja Report - February 2021

89 points View from the Cellar

The blend for the Solarce bottling from Casa La Rad is quite different than their Acentor, as the cépages here is sixty percent tempranillo, thirty percent garnacha and five percent each of maturana and cabernet sauvignon (perhaps paying homage to all those great old Marques de Riscal bottlings of yesteryear?). The wine is aged for eight months in used French barrels prior to bottling. The 2018 Solarce comes in at 14.5 percent octane and offers up a ripe and complex nose of black cherries, hung game, a touch of garrigue, coffee grounds, a fine base of soil and just a whisper of cedar from the used barrels. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and impressively transparent down to the soil, with a fine core, lovely focus and grip, well-integrated tannins and a long, complex and tangy finish. There is a touch of backend heat here, but the wine generally does a fine job of handling its octane quite well. Good juice that needs some time in the cellar. A fine value. 2024-2055.
John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021