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| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.1 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 153 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 3/8/2024 flawed bottle: Corked (384 views) | | | Tasted by mick978@gmail.com on 12/28/2023 & rated 90 points: Not the first time I’ve had this wine. This current bottle was past it’s prime. It felt slightly deconstructed and had a faint oxidized finishing note. I’m hoping it’s a bottle variation and not a sign that this vintage is on its tail end of life. (523 views) | | | Tasted by Amberissey on 12/11/2023 & rated 90 points: One hour slow-ox, four hour decant. Black pepper seasoned sun dried tomato smeared on leather I get on the nose, alongside coconut cream. There is some red fruit on the palette but it is hard to decipher which, maybe red cherry. But definitely roasted herbs, rosemary, thyme, etc. (639 views) | | | Tasted by Rechrom on 11/19/2023 & rated 96 points: Great bottle, drinking very well. Tight at open and for the first 30 minutes in the decanter. Opened up beautifully with time and after double decanting back to the bottle. Deep red, Great nose with secondary notes of earth and herb layered on top of the still noticeable primary fruit. Great plate, good length. Wonderful. (653 views) | | | Tasted by paintinginacave on 11/11/2023 & rated 90 points: Stood up a week in advance. One hour slow oxidation. Decanted for four hours. Bottom neck. Cork in good shape. Medium garnet in the glass. Complex and layered with slightly damp leather, stewed tomatoes seasoned with cracked black pepper, black shoe polish, dried rosemary and thyme, and a feint hint of aniseed. Sleek, polished and structured. (603 views) | | | Tasted by wineguy75 on 2/3/2023 & rated 97 points: 60 min double decant. Drinking great, not going to get better. Strong Sour cherry fruit (1305 views) | | | Tasted by Michael T. Zoppo on 2/1/2023: This had a smoky, spicy, cherry nose with a small hint of mustiness or "old wine smell." The palate echoed the spice, smoke, and cherry--rather tertiary in character overall. There is still a lot of acidity there, and finish was very long. This was very complex and pleasurable. It's probably best suited for wine nerds rather than casual drinkers as the savory/tertiary notes are more prominent than the fruit. But we loved it. I think this is unlikely to improve from here, so I suggest drinking now -> 2028. (1291 views) | | | Tasted by Paul D on 6/10/2022 & rated 93 points: 5/6. Showing red fruit, spice, leather, some soil notes. Light/medium bodied, elegant, linear even leanish, but attractive with it, leather, dried red fruit, spice, saline notes, long. Lovely. (1674 views) | | | Tasted by Gregory Dal Piaz on 3/12/2022 & rated 90 points: Rather evolved, the fill was great, the cork almost saturated to the top but hadn’t leaked yet, purchased on release direct from the distributor. And yet this is quite evolved, quite tawny in color, spicy, ;eathery, and earthy on the nose, light on the palate, which shows a hint of berry fruit, lots of spice, a strong acid driven spine of freshness, good length, some nuance, just quite fully tertiary and savory, Juicy and a delightful texture, just want a bit more fruitiness. Gamey. (1824 views) | | | Tasted by T G F on 12/27/2021: decant narrow decanter 1 hour before drinking. Very nice bottle of wine. Buy 1-2 more to consume over next 5-15 years. (1871 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 11/20/2021 & rated 96 points: Big Al & Janelle's Spanish Inspired Blowout (Big Al & Janelle's, St. Anthony, MN): Medium ruby color with a 12mm bricked margin. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. I thought I'd had the '91 Tondonia before, but I'd always had the Bosconia in the past. Same bottle as Chablis28 and i like his take on this. This bottle, like the best of the '91 Bosconia, offers a serene drinking experience. Resolved and gorgeous, this offers up an amazing nose of spice box, dried cherries, blood, rose water, rose petals, and clove. The palate has resolved tannins, red currants and dried cherry, blood and minerals, lacquer, clove, baked raspberry, and is somewhat savory in a harmonious medium frame. Loved it. (2094 views) | | | Tasted by chablis28 on 11/20/2021 & rated 96 points: Siggy's tonight at Big Al' & Janelle's epic Spain inspired dinner. Felt like we dinned in Seville :) Don't believe this saw more than 30 minutes of air before we partook. Also, I believe there were 2 btls tonight and I'm unsure where my pours came from as this was more dinner party than hard core wine geek event & I was having fun sharing stories with guest I had not met before. Disclaimers out of the way it would be impossible not to notice the calm stateliness of this fully realized and placid glass of wine. Color is a nearly translucent ruby - garnet red. Captivating aromas of cigar box, dried roses and forest floor. A feather weight with deceptive concentration. Retreating red fruit along w/ mushroom, tea, herbs and mineral. Mostly, left me with a feeling of zen like grace and satisfaction. Might have a slight personal preference for some previous '91 Bosconia Gran Reservas of past years but this a treat. (1901 views) | | | Tasted by Enfantterrible on 10/13/2021 & rated 94 points: Pristine. So enjoyable. About an hour decant along with a 100 day porterhouse. Excellent match. Aged wine and aged beef. Chef’s kiss.
I looked to pick up some new bottles, as this was my last one. What used to cost $70 is now $300++. Dang… (1907 views) | | | Tasted by JJYoyo on 7/4/2021 & rated 92 points: From memory so fewer detailed notes. Surprisingly delicate wine dominated by cigar box and cranberry? Aging well but the basic materials are not in the same league as the awesome 1981 we had a few months ago.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: 0 (2029 views) | | | Tasted by TwoSmoochies on 6/12/2021 & rated 92 points: Decanted 2 hours. Light but delicious. Still a lot of fruit left. (1694 views) | | | Tasted by snsharma on 3/27/2021 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured, ready to go right of the bottle.
Medium bodied, lively, well-balanced, fruit has faded, more earthy.
This felt like it was right at the edge of beginning its decline. I would drink up now. (1840 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 8/29/2020 & rated 94 points: A private lunch (Restaurant Schloss Berg ***, Perl/Nennig, Germany): Decanted for two hours. Fascinating wine. How can a wine which is so mature and tertiary still be so fresh and youthful? Medium garnet colour with a broad mahogany rim; deep and rich nose, nutty and balsamic but transparent and fresh, with notes of mint and almond, red berries and forest floor and subtle spicy oak; fresh and energetic palate, medium body but full of flavour, retains its juicy fruit, light but firm tannins, seamless and flowing; candied fruit on the long finish. (3102 views) | | | Tasted by winesteward on 5/16/2020 & rated 88 points: Pale garnet on the edge. I was expecting more brown since this is nearly 30 years old, so pretty impressive color. Red fruit - strawberry, cherry, raspberry. Nose is pretty spectacular. Floral and potpourri aside from the fruit. There might be a bit of underlying age aromas (meat, leather, cocoa) but it's hard to pick out from the sweet notes coming off this. Very dry, sour cherry, raspberry, strawberry. Meaty notes coming through on the palate. Lots of acidity. Food wine. Dried herbs. Tobacco leaf. Savory. Medium body. Wood notes, but not in a bad way. No tannins left but the acid provides all the structure this needs. Good length on this. Old-fashioned Rioja is not a style for everyone. For me, I enjoyed it with food, but not so much drinking it by itself. Interesting that it does taste fresh. No oxidative notes although there is a hint of prune in the finish. (2105 views) | | | Tasted by Paul D on 4/12/2020 & rated 92 points: 4/6, cork fully soaked. Decanted 1 hour, #906,396.
Pale/medium garnet core, pale mahogany rim. Developed nose, dried red fruit, tobacco, aromatic with spice and a touch of orange peel. Light/medium bodied, savoury, lithe, elegant and harmonious, fully resolved, touch of brine, very good length spicy finish. Excellent (2071 views) | | | Tasted by BillBell73 on 12/21/2019: Complex, smoky and savory nose...light and graceful on the palate with high acidity and cranberry fruit. This is a very good Tondonia that seems surprisingly mature with a lot of bricking around the edges and a fairly tertiary profile. (2159 views) | | | Tasted by short and confused on 7/21/2019 & rated 92 points: Cork came out fine. Light red with lots of orange bricking on the edge. Much of what I hoped for was there on the nose. Cherry fruits with game, leather and spic. In the mouth there is still some good acidity and fruit with some of the weightlessness that I love from these old Riojas from Lopez de Heredia. But overall, I was a little disappointed based on other experiences. The overall experience was not as complex and balanced as I wanted from this winery at this price. I still have 1 more of this and 2 1991 Bosconia and I am excited to experience them! (2640 views) | | | Tasted by Paul D on 6/7/2019 flawed bottle: 3/6. Corked (2484 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 1/7/2019 & rated 92 points: No formal notes, generally speaking not a good vintage in Rioja but this is truly impressive. (2833 views) | | | Tasted by rraaffaa on 11/20/2018 & rated 94 points: Medium body, lively, lots of cherry, perfectly smooth, well integrated wood. it changed a lot over the hour we decanted it, it's worth the wait. (2762 views) | | | Tasted by hsacks on 7/28/2018 & rated 92 points: Medium red color. Aromas of strawberries, leather, sage and oak spices. Medium-bodied, nicely structured fruit in the mouth with very good depth, surprising acidity and oak, excellent length and well-integrated tannins. This bottle was decanted and began as an 88 point wine and finished a half hour later as a 92! Delicious with spicy pork tenderloin. In sweet spot of maturity with another 10+ years of useful life. An interesting Spanish curiosity but not a particularly good value. (3050 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/24/2018)
(López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, July 2011
(López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, July/August 2009, IWC Issue #145
(R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2009, Issue #19, López de Heredia: Rioja’s Great Bastion of Tradition
(Viña Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva- López de Heredia) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/28/2012)
(R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia) Bricked medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; redolent, tobacco, cigar box nose; tasty, mature, tobacco, cigar box, dried currant, dill, iodine palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/2/2011)
(R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia) Bricked light medium red color with pale meniscus; lovely, mature, smoke, mushroom nose; tasty, mature, mushroom, smoke, tart currant, tart red fruit palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/13/2010)
(R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia) Dried berry, sandalwood nose; dried berry, sandalwood, pomegranate palate; medium-plus finish 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and Vinous and View From the Cellar and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| R. López de Heredia Producer Website1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña TondoniaFrom Distributor Website:
Little about López de Heredia has changed in the 125 years since its founding. The family adheres to a winemaking doctrine blueprinted in the 1880’s — to make wine only from their own vineyards, using natural yeasts, long aging in wood, and no filtration at bottling.
The winery and vineyards, some of the first in the region, are located in the Alta Rioja’s capital city, Haro. Unlike most of its competitors, now owned by outside investors, López de Heredia is owned—and every detail of its operation is handled—by the family who founded it. The bodega is now in the capable hands of the family’s youngest generation, Maria José, Mercedes, and Julio Cèsar.
López de Heredia’s greatest wines are their two red Gran Reservas—Viña Tondonia and Viña Bosconia — aged 6 to 8 years in immaculate old barrels, which mellows the fruit, allows for natural clarification, and gives the wines a wonderful complexity. But even after these Gran Reservas are bottled, they’re not ready for sale; López de Heredia often keeps them a decade more before shipping a bottle.
Tondonia, Gravonia, and Bosconia refer to single-vineyard designated sites from which the winery grows all their fruit. The blends from year-to-year do not vary much.
The Tondonia reds are a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha (Grenache), and 10% Manzuela and Graciano, the classic Rioja proportions. The backbone is provided by Tempranillo since it is the most balanced varietal in Rioja. Its aging-capabilities and alcohol content are derived from the Garnacha, while the acidity and color come from the Graciano and Manzuela grapes. Of the last two varieties, Graciano is a high-yielding vine in which the grapes never reach full maturity, while Manzuela has a very long ripening cycle and also rarely reaches maturity; both therefore provide the acidity for which Lopez wines are famous. Gran Reserva wines are chosen especially for particularly great vintages.
If you haven’t tasted traditional style Rioja – we mean no chemicals, no pesticides, no chaptalization, no machines, only hand-harvesting, only hand-racking with oak funnels, and 4 barrel-makers on staff, etc., etc. – Lopez should be at the top of your list.Tempranillo BlendTempranillo is the backbone of wines made ihvhhcn the best well-known Spanish regions Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but is also grown as far afield as Mexico and Australia.
As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate - but with a rustic edge. The Many wines made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumers . Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak - add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle - and occasionaly not-so-subtle - leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly.Gran ReservaTradition Ascendant in Rioja
By ERIC ASIMOV
August 11, 2009
One of my stops on my recent trip to Spain was Rioja, where I was able to spend quite a bit of time at the venerable winery López de Heredia, which is the focus of my column this week.
As those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time may guess, I’ve had a long love affair with the wines of López de Heredia. In fact, my second post ever was about its wonderful rosado, which, unusually for any wine, let alone a rosé, is generally released when it’s about 10 years old.
It’s almost reflexive when talking about López to describe it as classic or unyielding, because it is quite immune to the trend-following that so often guides decision-making in the world of wine. That is true. But it took me this visit to realize that in its own way, López de Heredia is now a cutting-edge winery.
It’s a case of what goes around comes around, as forward-thinking winemakers have in many ways come around to López de Heredia’s ways of doing things. This is particularly true in the vineyard, where its gentle, natural viticultural approach is now the preferred approach my many of the world’s great producers. In the winery, it’s harder to say, except that Lopez’s gentle handling, reliance on natural yeasts and overall artisanal methods are likewise an ideal today.
Of course, the fact that Lopez uses old barrels, including enormous wooden fermentation vessels that have been around almost as long as the 132-year-old winery itself, leaves a lot of room for debate. Very few producers use barrels that old, though one that comes to mind is Biondi Santi in Montalcino.
Still, styles oscillate over the years, and I believe we are now retreating from an era of overly oaky wines, back to wines where the barrel regimen is as much if not more about imparting texture as it is flavor.
In fact, oaky flavors can be important in López de Heredia wines. All you have to do is taste one of its wonderful older white wines, like the 1991 reserva, to taste the hazelnut, coconut flavors of American oak beautifully integrated with the wine. And if you ever get a chance to taste a rare 1964 white, as I did in Rioja, you will be rewarded with a rich, pure wine tasting almost entirely of minerals.
The strange thing about López de Heredia is that because its wines have never changed, people tend to think of the company as a dour, humorless, rigid sort of place, haunted by the imperative of adhering to tradition. Nothing could be further from the truth.
For instance, while the winery is largely a sturdy example of late 19th century architecture, the new boutique for visitors, designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, is fully in keeping with the non-linear architectural look of modern Rioja. It was in the boutique that I watched one afternoon as Maria José López de Heredia, along with her sister, Mercedes, and father, Pedro, about to turn 81, regaled tourists with a boisterous Spanish drinking song.
Many people might be surprised, for example, at some of the winery’s plans for tourism. Maria José, who often takes the lead role in public but runs the winery with her sister, father and brother, Julio César, would like to build a little train line to take tourists back and forth between the winery and its most famous vineyard, Viña Tondonia, just across the Ebro River.
“Why not?’’ she said. “It’s very important to teach people, and it’s easier to teach them if you give them a good time.’’
Of course, she has a serious reason as well. “It’s impossible for people to understand the soul of a wine if they don’t know how the grapes are grown,’’ she told me.
For people who do have the opportunity to visit López de Heredia, doubtless the most striking moment is seeing the thousands of bottles of gran reserva wines, aging in a cellar covered in mold and cobwebs. For people who are used to the squeaky clean hygiene of New World cellars (or for somebody like my mother, for example, who did not permit dirt in her kitchen) such a sight might prove troubling.
But the mold and cobwebs are typical of more than a few old Old World cellars, where they are considered an intrinsic part of the terroir. Maria José, for example, insists that the mold and webs are absolutely beneficial to the wines, and that cleaning them out under the mistaken notion of pursuing hygiene would have many unintended consequences.
“It’s protection, not affliction!’’ she said, and I don’t doubt her. Her wines, at least, are paragons of purity.Viña TondoniaJay Miller in WA, June 2010
A visit to the venerable Bodega Lopez de Heredia, located in the Rioja Alta capital of Haro, is akin to entering a time machine taking you back 100 years. Construction of the Bodega began in 1877 and continues without any apparent changes to the present day. The winery is operated by the voluble Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia, her sister Mercedes, and their father Pedro, still active into his 80s. All of the wines are produced from estate grown bush vines. Tondonia and Bosconia are two different vineyards; Bosconia has a larger percentage of Tempranillo and a different orientation. For an excellent overview of the estate, read Eric Asimov’s blog in the New York Times dated August 11, 2009.
Map on weinlagen-infoSpain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.La Rioja Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja
Map on weinlagen-infoLa Rioja Alta Map on weinlagen-infoRioja Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja
HISTORY
The wine region of La Rioja in Spain was first demarcated by the area's governing body, the Consejo Regulador, in 1926. The region extends for approximately 120 kilometres along both sides of the Ebro River and is, at its widest point, bounded by mountains on either side. In fact, the word 'Rioja' is a derivation of the two words 'Rio' (River) and 'Oja (the name of a tributary of the Ebro that runs right through La Rioja creating a series of microclimates and providing much needed water for the vines).
La Rioja has always been a vital part of Spain's history. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, and finally, medieval Crusaders have all played a part in the area's history. The Romans, however, made wine a part of their culture wherever they travelled, and La Rioja was no exception. Ancient sites of Roman wineries still exist in and around the area today.
After the Romans came the Moors, and winemaking all but ceased. It wasn't until after the famous 'El Cid' liberated Spain, and medieval Christianity brought trade via the Crusaders through the region, that it flourished again. The Benedictine monks of Cluny in Burgundy, known for their viticulture, helped to establish three monasteries in the area. The vines they planted were mostly white grapes. In the fourteenth century, English traders acquired a taste for a local Rioja wine, which was a blend of white and red wines called Blancos Pardillos. Over time, development of lighter reds came about satisfying eighteenth century English and French courts.
The real improvements to Rioja's viticulture began around 1780 when the need to prolong wine during transport brought about experimentation with different woods and preservatives. Studies were made of the techniques used by great chateaux in Bordeaux. With the outbreak of the Peninsular War, progress was halted until 1852, when the Bordelais came south to Rioja seeking vines because their vineyards had been blighted with oidium. French winemaking methods were eagerly taken up by great rivals the Marques de Murrieta and Marques de Riscal (who both claim to have been the first in Rioja to make wine in the Bordeaux fashion).
When phylloxera devastated Bordeaux in the 1870s and the French influence really took hold in Rioja, many of the region's finest bodegas started production on what we now consider as the great wines of Rioja. It’s important to remember that Bordeaux winemaking methods then were very different to those employed today in France, and involved long ageing in barrel, a factor that the Riojans took up enthusiastically. So enthusiastically in fact that to this day there are a number of Bodegas that still make their wine in a surprisingly similar fashion to that of the Bordelais in the later part of the 1800s and this also explains why oak ageing is such an important part of Riojan winemaking.
USE OF OAK
Pronounced vanilla flavours in the wines are a trademark of the region though some modern winemakers are experimenting with making wines less influenced by oak. Originally French oak was used but as the cost of the barrels increased many bodegas began to buy American oak planks and fashion them into barrels at Spanish cooperages in a style more closely resembling the French method. This included hand splitting the wood, rather than sawing, and allowing the planks time to dry and 'season' in the outdoors versus drying in the kiln. In recent times, more bodegas have begun using French oak and many will age wines in both American and French oak for blending purposes.
In the past, it was not uncommon for some bodegas to age their red wines for 15-20 years or even more before their release. One notable example of this is Marqués de Murrieta which released its 1942 vintage Gran Reserva in 1983 after 41 years of ageing. Today most bodegas have shifted their winemaking focus to wines that are ready to drink sooner with the top wines typically ageing for 4-8 years prior to release though some traditionalists still age longer. The typical bodega owns anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 oak barrels.
The use of oak in white wine has declined significantly in recent times when before the norm was traditionally 2-5 years in oak. This created slightly oxidised wines with flavours of caramel, coffee, and roasted nuts that did not appeal to a large market of consumers. Today the focus of white winemakers has been to enhance the vibrancy and fruit flavours of the wine.
WINE CLASSIFICATION
Most Riojan Bodegas believe that the ageing of a wine should be the responsibility of the producer rather than that of the consumer, and this is why much Rioja is more mature than wines from other countries. Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labelled 'Rioja', or 'Sin Crianza' (meaning 'without ageing') is the youngest, spending less than a year in oak. A "Crianza" is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which is in oak. 'Reserva' is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, 'Gran Reserva' wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle. Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not necessarily produced each year. Also produced are wines in a semi-crianza style, those that have had a couple of months of oak influence but not enough to be called a full crianza. The designation of Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva might not always appear on the front label but may appear on a neck or back label in the form of a stamp designation known as Consejo.
SUB REGIONS
Rioja Alta
Located on the western edge of the region, and at higher elevations than the other areas, the Rioja Alta is known for more fruity and concentrated wines which can have very smooth texture and mouth feel.
Rioja Alavesa
Despite sharing a similar climate as the Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil.
Rioja Baja
Unlike the more continental climate of the Alta and Alavesa, the Rioja Baja is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes this area the warmest and driest of the Rioja. In the summer months, drought can be a significant viticultural hazard, though since the late 1990s irrigation has been permitted. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 95°F. Twenty percent of the vineyards actually fall within the Navarra appellation but the wine produced from the grapes is still allowed to claim the Rioja designation. The predominant grape here is the Garnacha which prefers the hot conditions, unlike the more aromatic Tempranillo. Consequently Baja wines are very deeply coloured and can be highly alcoholic with some wines at 18% alcohol by volume. The wines typically do not have much acidity or aroma and are generally used as blending components with wines from other parts of
the Rioja.
The Riojans are master blenders (as they have to be because there are relatively few single estates in the area, the norm being to blend from a wide variety of vineyards and wine areas). Consequently they are able to reduce vintage variation by careful blending and many of the best wines vary relatively little between vintages.
VITICULTURE & GRAPES
Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto), white (blanco) or rosé (rosado). Rioja has a total of 57,000 hectares cultivated, yielding 250 million litres of wine annually, of which 85% is red. The harvest time for most Rioja vineyards is September-October with the northern Rioja Alta having the latest harvest in late October. The soil here is clay-based with a high concentration of chalk and iron (which provides the redness in the soil that may be responsible for the region's name, Rioja, meaning red). There is also significant concentration of limestone, sandstone and alluvial silt.
Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavours and ageing potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavours and Graciano adding additional aromas.
With Rioja Blanco, Viura is the prominent grape (also known as Macabeo) and is sometimes blended with some Malvesia and Garnacha Blanca. In the white wines the Viura contributes mild fruitness, acidity and some aroma to the blend with Garnacha Blanca adding body and Malvasia adding aroma. Rosados are mostly derived from Garnacha grapes. The 'international varieties' of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have gained some attention and use through experimental plantings by some bodegas but their use has created wines distinctly different from the typical Rioja.
Some of the most sought after grapes come from the limestone/sandstone based 'old vine' vineyards in the Alavesa and Alta regions. These 40 year old plus vines are prized due to their low yields and more concentrated flavours. A unique DO regulation stipulates that the cost of the grapes used to make Rioja must exceed by at least 200% the national average of wine grapes used in all Spanish wines.
VINTAGE CHART
Rioja (Red) Year %
2004 Superb vintage, classic wines Drink or Hold 94
2003 Hot, dry year, long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 91
2002 Smallest vintage in 10 years. Variable quality.
Keep to top names Drink or Hold 87
2001 Excellent year for long ageing Reservas
and Gran Reservas Drink or Hold 94
2000 A generally good vintage with fine Reservas Drink or Hold 89
1999 Smaller vintage of good quality Drink or Hold 88
1998 Good vintage Drink or Hold 97
1997 Unexciting so far, but quaffable Drink or Hold 84
1996 Good year, plenty of ageing potential Drink or Hold 89
1995 Very good vintage, Reservas now showing excellent fruit Drink or Hold 92
1994 Outstanding, some great long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 94
1993 Lesser wines, apart from best-known names Drink 77
1992 Rather light vintage Drink 80
1991 Still improving, average quality Drink or Hold 85
1990 Fairly ordinary but quaffable Drink 84
1989 Good, firm structure Drink 88
Rioja Reserva & Gran Reserva – Vintages of the Eighties Year %
1989 Goodish vintage, well balanced Drink 88
1988 Fairly good vintage, well balanced wines Drink 88
1987 Very attractive vintage, now at peak Drink 90
1986 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1985 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1984 Disappointing, with problem weather Avoid 80
1983 Don't keep it any longer Drink 86
1982 Now past its best Drink 83
1981 Superb wines, finest will keep longer Drink 90
1980 Average vintage, don't keep any longer Drink 86
More vintage charts
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