Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 78

Rioja Reds
hills of Rioja Alavesa. In 2019, it's youthfully
closed off, lean, brash and peppery when
first poured. As the tannins begin to open,
it shows some floral notes, yellow roses and
purple blossoms. Then, by the third day, the
wine's energy is more fully on display, the
fruit developing toward strawberries at the
underside of ripeness, tart and refreshing,
compelling to drink. § David Bowler Wines, NY
92 | Torres
$27
2015 Rioja Altos Ibéricos Reserva ^ The
Torres family of Catalonia built their Rioja
winery in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa, in 2005,
where they make this fresh, velvet-textured
tempranillo. The wine's pomegranate-red
fruit lasts along with its plentiful tannins,
which feel supple and completely integrated- " when
the skin of the fruit is perfect,
it melts into the wine, " one taster said about
those tannins. It's smoky and ready for duck. § Wilson Daniels, Napa, CA
92 | Ugalde
$32
2018 Rioja Señorial Crianza ^ Immediately
lively with bright red-raspberry and raspberry-seed
flavor, this wine packs youthful
energy. The lasting earthen savor develops
into umami depths of tomatoes and mushrooms
as the wine opens with air, a laser
beam of fresh cherry flavor to shine on tapas. §
4Front, Lewisburg, OH
92 | CVNE
$62
2015 Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Real ^ Based
on fruit from CVNE's Alavesa vineyards
in Laguardia, Elciego and Labastida, Viña
Real offers lovely finesse in 2015. With two
years in new oak barrels, the wine gives a
first impression of molten chocolate, but
that quickly moves toward floral scents of
lilacs and spicy tomato edges to the fruit.
It's tightly focused, freshened up by notes
of new-mown spring grass, complete with
thyme, sage and clover. If you open it now,
pour it with grilled suckling lamb; best to age
this wine, as it will develop over a decade or
longer. § Arano USA, Miami, FL
91 | Benjamin de Rothschild
& Vega Sicilia
$64
2017 Rioja Macán Clásico ^ Selected as
the more accessible sibling of Macán, this
presents a supple, modern side of Rioja. It
builds richness and power out of bloody,
iron-bound tannins under sweeter notes of
strawberry jam and blueberry pie. Generously
oaked, it's a wine that will take on beef
Wellington. § Europvin, Van Nuys, CA
91 | Ramón Bilbao
2017 Rioja Límite Sur Garnacha ^ From
vineyards in Rioja Oriental rising to 2,000
feet, this garnacha ferments with some whole
bunches in concrete, then ages in a mix of
amphorae, 600-liter barrels and concrete. It
delivers a heavyweight red, spicy, powerful
and lasting on its red-fruit glow. Rich and
concentrated, it's a bold style with plenty of
intensity to match braised oxtails or other
rich meats. § Not currently imported.
91 | Casa La Rad
$40
2017 Rioja ^ This 2,000-acre estate rises up the
foothills southeast of Logroño, two-thirds of
it woodlands, with 272 acres of vines. This
wine comes from mature vines on the estate,
all more than 35 years old, some reaching
back to the 1960s. The blend includes tempranillo
and garnacha (both 40 percent),
with graciano and maturana (both 10 percent).
It's ripe and red-fruited, with the spice
of French oak barrels adding complexity to
the fruit. The tannins have the meatiness of
roast beef, which the wine would suit well. §
Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA
91 | Contino
$68
2015 Rioja Gran Reserva ^ Notes of dried
plums and figs introduce this Gran Reserva,
then its dark fruit descends into tannins and
a frame of oak that needs time to fully integrate.
Give it a day, and the wine transforms
into a lovely, gentle Rioja, suggesting where
it may stand in five years' time. § Arano USA,
Miami, FL
91 | Eguren Ugarte
$13
2018 Rioja Crianza (BEST BUY) ^ Tight and
austere, this wine's red-berry flavors are
on the underside of ripeness, with a hint of
tomato skin in the tannins. There's a light
density to the wine's youthful fruit, mouthwatering
with a grilled pork chop. § Monsieur
Touton Selection, NY
91 | Finca de la Rica
$30
2017 Rioja El Buscador Crianza ^ The Amurrio
Barroeta family farms 96 acres of vines
in Labastida, mostly small parcels, mostly
planted 45 years ago. When frost took out a
majority of their crop in 2017, they selected
some of the best of what was left for El Buscador,
a blend of 90 percent tempranillo
with garnacha, tough at first, taking its time
to show its ambitions and to meet them. It's
tightly built, long on blackberry flavors and
black tannins. As the toasty oak relents over
the course of a day, the fruit emerges more
fully, healthy and generous. § Tri-Vin, New
Rochelle, NY
91 | Franco-Españolas
$33
2012 Rioja Gran Reserva Rioja Bordón ^
Bright and rosy, this wine still holds freshness
in its earthy fruit finely integrated with
mature tannins. It feels airy and complete, a
graceful Gran Reserva to drink today or to
keep on hand for the next several years. § M.S.
Walker, Somerville, MA
91 | R. López de Heredia $29
2012 Rioja Crianza Viña Cubillo ^ Cubillo
blends tempranillo with 25 percent garnacha
and five percent each of graciano and
mazuelo. At nine years old, the wine is still
bright, powered by bold spice, with notes of
cumin and black pepper in the underlying
tannins. There's warmth to the fruit and a
cedary note that would take on braised lamb. §
Think Global, Santa Barbara, CA
91 | Luberri
$24
2016 Rioja Biga ^ The tannins stand firm in
this wine's scents of dark-roast coffee and flavors
of bitter plum skin. There's sour-cherry
fruit in the middle, needing something
fatty, like roast duck with cherries, to break
through the tannic wall. Or cellar it for a few
years to let those tannins soften. § De Maison
Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
91 | Finca Montote
$35
2015 Rioja Reserva ^ From an estate in the
hills of Rioja Oriental, this wine balances it
superripe blueberry sweetness with the gentle
savor of its tannins. Whitney Asher of
Brava in Lenox, Mass., described it as " all
power-all day, " that power pulling all the
other elements of the wine along, and yet
the fruit sings through in the end, lasting on
a blackcurrant-seed savor. § State Wines Selections,
Miami, FL
91 | Bodegas Olarra
$22
2018 Rioja Nucerro Reserva (BEST BUY) ^
There's a woodsy brightness to this wine's
black-cherry and wild-strawberry flavors,
like sunlight streaming through the forest
canopy. The texture is round, the tannins
fragrant with cherry-wood smoke. Point it
toward lamb. § Classic Wines, Stamford, CT
91 | Bodegas Olarra
$44
2018 Rioja Laztana Reserva ^ Based on fruit
from north of the Alavesa town of Viana, this
is a tough young blend of tempranillo with
mazuelo (10 percent) and garnacha (5 percent).
There's some volatility that picks up on
78
WINE & SPIR IT S
D E c E mb ER 2021
Wine & Spirits - December 2021

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