The Rioja district, on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains in the north central part of Spain, has the climate and soil to support the growth of quality, red-wine grapes.
Moderate winters, rainy springs, short, hot summers and - the most beneficial of all - a long, very mild fall, result in an almost unequaled grape harvest.
It only has been in the last 30 years that the growers of the region have resisted the temptation to overproduce and began to stress quality over quantity. They have also stepped into the 21st century by updating and modernizing their winemaking equipment and techniques.
All of this has more than paid off. Today, Spanish wines have become some of the best buys in the wine market.
Faustino Gran Reserva 2001 ($36) This wine, like most of the Rioja red wines, is made from the indigenous tempranillo. The amazing thing about wines made from this grape is they are capable of living a long time.
The Faustino Gran Reserve is a handcrafted wine that, after fermentation, was aged for a long 26 months in French and American oak barrels and then set down to further mature in the bottle. The result of of this tender loving care is a wine of great depth and softness.
There are many layers of fruit, stressing blackberries, blueberries and oak with hints of vanilla and spice in the background. What is most noticeable is the soft and inviting velvety texture of this wine, which is the result of the long aging both in the cask and in the bottle.
Bodega Ontanon Crianza 2010 ($14) The Bodega Ontanon Crianza 2010 is an example of a Rioja wine given the bare minimum aging of only 18 months.
As a result, this wine displays a refreshing countenance while presenting an aroma heavy with black cherries and summer dark fruit with hints of pepper, oak and vanilla. The flavor also stresses fresh cherries and hints of ripe blueberries with oak and vanilla in the background. This is a fruity wine reminiscent of a quality Beaujolais in its freshness.
Montecillo Reserva 2008 ($17) This selection is a different vintage from the same grapes as the crianze that has been aged in oak for a full two years. The extra aging imparts greater depth and softness.
2008 was an excellent vintage year, so the grapes the winemakers had to work with were exceptional. After the two years in the cask, the wine was given another two years of bottle aging. The main flavor is black summer fruits with hints of tobacco, pepper and vanilla.
2012 Vaza Cosecha Rioja ($12) The 2012 Vaza Cosecha Rioja is a dry wine that displays a traditional deep red color. It reflects the flavors and aromas of plum, raspberry, vanilla and oak ending in a fruity and moderately long finish.
This is what can best be called the “typical Rioja,” as it best displays what a true Rioja should be like in its youth. It is a nice wine that can serve as an introduction to Rioja and will pair well with any food that calls for a red wine, be it Spanish or not.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.[[In-content Ad]]
