Reserva on a Rioja label too often means the fruit got sanded down by years in barrel. Sierra Cantabria’s version argues otherwise. The Eguren family farms in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, on the high, cool northern edge of Rioja beneath the Cantabrian mountains, and this is all Tempranillo, aged around eighteen months in a mix of French and American oak. That is enough to add spice and structure without burying the vineyard. 2017 was the frost year, when growers lost much of the crop and the survivors ripened in a short, warm cycle, and the wine that came out is concentrated but composed, with real grip. A classic Rioja that still wants dinner.