Basilio Izquierdo

Rioja
Tasted Friday, November 26, 2010 by SimonG with 309 views

Introduction

A very ordinary warehouse/lock-up sort of affair on a road-side industrial estate houses the winery of one of the greats of Rioja. Basilio was winemaker at CVNE from 1974 to 2006, before leaving to start making wines for himself. He uses traditional methods, blending rather than following the single varietal route. He uses massal selection to benefit from natural variation in the vineyards.

  • 2010 Viura barrel sample. Cloudy. Fragrant. White fruit, pear-dominated. 6 days post-fermentation.
  • 2010 Malvasia, Viura & Garnacha Blanca blend barrel sample. Again, cloudy. Complete product though, far more rounded. Smells like proper wine. Similar to the Viura but mor efat and substance. Higher intensity too.
  • 2010 Garnacha Blanca barrel sample. still fermenting. 2 samples tasted, one from demijon and one from barrel. Both quite sulpherous although the barrel version is slightly less so. Still bubbling and popping away if one gets an ear to the bung. Yeast in 2010 was quite poor so it's taking longer for fermentation owing to the lack of yeast.
  • 2010 Tempranillo barrel sample. Only just in to barrel. Very vibrant purple-pink. Floral nose. very bright fruit with a strong violet element. Probably won't need finiong (like 2007) apparently.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2009 Bodegas Basilio Izquierdo Rioja B de Basilio Blanco

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Pale colour. 75% Garnacha Blanca with Viura and Malvasia. Pale colour. Light nose. Grenache gives more weight to the mid-palate and is obvious on the finish, but overall, an elegant wine. A slight tang to the finish gives a bit of lift and complexity, cutting through the grenache fat. ***

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  • 2008 Bodegas Basilio Izquierdo Rioja B de Basilio

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    76% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha & 4% Graciano.
    Deep red to purple. Bright raspberry fruit on the nose, follows through to the attack. Good grip. Some herbiness here too. Not unlike a loire cab-Franc. Good energy. Positive finish and really quite long. ***1/2

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