This blog is based on the Spirits of New Mexico radio show that aired on May 29, 2021. We do on-air tasting of one or two wines to illustrate what is available in a particular wine region, or as a contrast of what influence a wine region has on a grape or blend. We use suitable glasses for the type of wine and do a double-decant of red wines to insure they have opened sufficiently for accurate judging.
Since we covered the white wines of Spain last week, it seems only fair to cover the reds this week. Well that and the fact we love Spanish reds, which are still a great value. Last week we enjoyed Albarińo from Galicia in Northwest Spain. Now we are in Northeast Spain in La Rioja.
Spanish wine overview
There are over sixty defined wine regions and seven distinct climates within Spain, which is the third largest wine producer and the country with the most acreage devoted to wine. Along with Sherry, Rioja is probably the most recognized wine region in Spain and its principal grapes, Tempranillo and Garnacha the most popular.
The Spanish love aging their wines so many of their reds are bottle-aged much longer than other wine regions. A few Gran Reservas are held up to 20 years. American oak is also very popular.
Northwest Spain
Dominated by the Atlantic on its western and northern boundaries and the coolest region is dominated by whites near the coast with red wines primarily from Castilla y Leon which is further inland.
Red grapes: Tempranillo and Mencia, a lighter-bodied age-worthy wine
Northeast Spain
Directly below France and extending to the Mediterranean coast, this area includes La Rioja, Navarra, Aragon and the vast coastal area of Catalunya from which Priorat wines originate.
Red grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Carignan, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell (Mourvèdre in France) and Bobal in Valencia
Southern Spain
The vast area of southern Spain with Extramadura in the west and Castilla-La Mancha in the central region below Madrid and the Costa del Sol of Andalucía from Malaga to Cadiz..
Red grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell and Bobal
Spanish islands
Majorca: off the Spanish coast near Catalunya, red grapes: Manto Negro and Callet
Canary Islands: located off the coast of Western Sahara, Africa was a last port of call for ships heading to the Caribbean and Mexico: Listan Negro and Listan Prieto are the red grapes. Listan Prieto is related to the Mission grape in California and also in New Mexico where it was planted 140 years earlier. It is believed the varietal cultivated in New Mexico came from the Canary Islands.
Spanish wine classifications: DOP
- Vino de Pago: Single vineyard wines, 15 total
- DOCa/DOQ: Winery located in same region as grapes, a rigorous standard: Rioja and Priorat
- DO: Quality wines in 79 official wine regions
- IGP: lower standard from larger regional areas
La Rioja
Rioja is a D.O.Ca., or Qualified Designation of Origin, and the first to receive that classification. Rioja wine is made from grapes grown in the autonomous communities of La Rioja and Navarre, and the Basque province of Álava.Wine map courtesy of Wine Folly, which has great maps including wall-sized.
Rioja is further subdivided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental and Rioja Alavesa.
- Rioja Alta is at the highest elevation and known more for its “old world” style of wine. A higher elevation means a shorter growing season, so the wines have brighter fruit flavors and lighter on the palate.
- Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Due to poorer soil conditions, vineyards have a low vine density with large spacing between rows to reduce competition for the soil’s nutrients.
- Rioja Oriental formally Baja is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate making it the warmest and driest of the Rioja. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 95 °F. The wines are deeply colored and alcoholic with some wines at 18%. Many used for blending.
La Rioja and the Seven Valleys
The Erbo River flows thru Rioja and feeds 7 tributaries that form seven valleys south and west of the Erbo. Each has unique soil, topology and climate that influence the style of wine made. The region is 70 miles to the Bay of Biscay and port of Bilboa and the same distance to the French border.
The Seven Valleys:
Alta Zone:
- Oja Valley has the highest elevation, sometimes known as Alta Alta
- Najerilla Valley has the most vineyards
- Iregua Valley’s river also divides the Alta and Oriental zones
Oriental Zone:
- Iregua Valley is shared with Alta Zone
- Leza Valley has steep canyons similar to high desert regions like New Mexico
- Jubera Valley has more alluvial soils
- Cidacos Valley is mostly too hot for quality wines except at higher elevations
- Alhama Valley borders Navarra and is close to Aragon.
See Wine Folly: The Seven Valleys of the Rioja Wine Region for detailed information
The New Rules for Rioja
The aging requirements have not changed, but a new category has been introduced.
- Crianza: 2 years aging; Red 1 year in oak, Rose/white 6 months
- Reserva: 3 years aging; Red 1 year in oak, 6 months in bottle Rose/white 2 years with 6 months in barrels, sparkling 2 years en tirage (on the lees) and Rioja designation, not Cava.
- Gran Reserva: 5 years aging, Red at least 2 in barrel and 2 in bottles, Rose/white 5 years aging at least 6 months in barrels.
- Gran Añada: sparkling 3 years en tirage, vintage wines are hand-harvested
There are also new rules for the Rioja wines in general:
Rioja wines can now add the name of the village/municipality to the front label. There are 145 municipio names in Rioja. That would be fine for locals who would have more intimate knowledge of the villages, but impractical for us until each village establishes a reputation. However the information above about the seven valleys of Rioja does give us some insight into the diversity of microclimates.
- Rosé or Rosado wines can now be made in a lighter style. Rosado wines required a fair amount of extraction, which affect palate and color. The Provence style is much more popular.
- There is a new sparkling wine designation called Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja which basically uses the méthode champenoise or traditional method.
- Winemakers may now offer single-varietal white wines under the Rioja Blanco label.
The new Rioja rules identify four classifications of wines. These designations define geographical locations, not necessarily quality levels, although that may be inferred.
- Rioja DO: grapes can come from any zone
- Zonas: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental
- Municipios or village wines, which will be standouts only time will tell.
- Grapes, vinification, ageing, bottling within the village
- Each producer will need a separate winery in each village, unlike Burgundy
- Most Rioja wines now are blends from different regions so this will be a big deal
- There are 77 villages in Rioja Alta, 50 in Rioja Oriental, and 18 in Rioja Alavesa.
- Viñedo Singular or unique vineyards, with strict requirements, minimum vineyard age 35 years, all hand-harvested, yields 20% less than Rioja DO, vineyard under ownership at least 10 contiguous years
Rioja Red Grapes
The principal red grapes of Rioja are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuela. Tempranillo is usually the primary grape, but Garnacha is sometimes a principal grape. While a single varietal is possible, many Rioja wines are blends with Tempranillo as the main grape.
Tempranillo:
The principal red wine grape of Spain and Rioja. Flavors of cherry, plum, tomato, and dried fig and tertiary flavors of cedar, leather, tobacco, vanilla, dill, and clove. Aged in oak; typically aged 6-18 months in American or French Oak. Also known as Tinto del Toro and Tinta Fina, in Spain and Tinta Roriz and Aragonez in Portugal.
Garnacha:
Terroir: Grenache or Garnacha is a widely planted grape variety that ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions like Spain. The vine has a strong wood canopy and highly resistant to windy regions, although the Cantabrian Mountains shield the vines from most of the powerful winds.
Flavors: Generally spicy, red berry-flavored (typically raspberry and strawberry) and soft on the palate producing wine with a relatively high alcohol content. Aged Grenache takes on leather and tarry notes; classic flavors of Spanish Priorat wines.
Mazuela (Carignan)
Outside of Catalonia, Mazuelo is mostly a secondary blending variety used to add acidity to the Tempranillo-based wines of Rioja though a few producers, such as Marqués de Murrieta, do make varietal examples of the grape. The grape is popular in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
Graciano
Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape grown primarily in Rioja. The vine is a low-yield producer harvested in late October. The wine produced is characterized by its deep red color, strong aroma and ability to age well. Graciano thrives in warm, arid climates. The grape is also known as Morrastel in France or Xeres in the US. Verdad Winery winemaker, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist makes an awesome Graciano.
There has been more interest in this grape of late. Because it is a low-yield producer and subject to downy mildew it is a high-maintenance grape. Since 1999, the Spanish government has offered subsidies to those vintners who will grow the grape. Those are economic decisions and a winemaker must have a passion for the grape and be willing to expend much effort to produce a single varietal wine.
What we are tasting: Bodegas Izadi 2014 Rioja Reserva 14% ABV, $14 to $18
Vinous Reverie Notes: Located in Rioja Alavesa, where Tempranillo thrives in a microclimate strongly influenced both by the elevation and the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. Bodegas Izadi specializes in red wines make almost exclusively from Tempranillo. Izadi Reserva is made from 100% Tempranillo grown in limestone rich soils and aged in American and French oak.
Winemaker notes: Shiny ruby color. Rich aromatic intensity with a nice balance of red fruit, liquorice and spices and smoked hints in the background. Elegant and round in the palate with a long afterstate that brings back floral and fruity memories.
A generous plum, chocolate and earthy nose with subtle oak. Dry tannins are well integrated. An impressive modern wine. James Suckling 92 points
Izadi Reserva 2014 is smoky with ripe dark fruit aromas right from the get-go. You know it’s going to be good. Produced from 100% Tempranillo, layers of ripe dark plum, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, pepper and smoke, very smoky (from toasted oak) and deliciously robust. The estate was founded in 1987 and is located in Rioja Alavesa around the villages of Villabuena, Ábalos and Samaniego. Pair with a rich Spanish sausage casserole. Natalie Maclean 89 points
What we are tasting: Lan Rioja 2011 Gran Reserva $31.99 at Total Wine
Bodegas Lan was established in 1972 and after a number of itinerant owners, they settled with an investment group, Mercapital, in 2002. Their winery is based in the town of Fuenmayor in Rioja Alta. They own 70 hectares of vineyard, the remainder out-sourced and the wine is raised in a combination of different oak regimes in their barrel cellar that can accommodate some 25,000 barrels. I was impressed by the consistency of these wines that are well-crafted and with a propensity to age.
93 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: The Gran Reserva is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano: a selection of the best grapes from 20- to 25-year-old vines that is then aged in American and French oak for 24 months. It has an intense minty nose of blackberry, smoke and grilled meats that is well-defined, but surprisingly taut considering the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with a tarry, leathery entry. The tannins are fine and linear, the finish classic in style with a dash of white pepper and tar. This is a very well-made Gran Reserva drinking beautifully now, but certainly it has the substance to keep. Drink now-2022. Review from Blanchards Wine & Spirits NY
This is an impressive Gran Reserva. It opens with cinnamon, five spice, iodine, vanilla, resin, elderberries, cherry liqueur, blackberries and black raspberries. The palate is plush, full-bodied and very concentrated, but there’s enough depth of field to the tannins to take on the immense, dark-fruit flavors. Some cutting acidity drives this home. Drink in 2024. James Suckling 94 points
Analysis
No surprise that both wines were very well done. That is expected with reservas and gran reservas. It is not only the aging requirements, but the fact these wines were considered good enough to get extra attention. The flavor profiles were very close, although the LAN had a deeper richer nose which was reinforced by the palate. Both wines were good values for their price point, but I’d still go with the LAN. Also I noted that even with the double decant the LAN was only fully opened after 1-1/2 hours.
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