La Rioja

Many of us were first exposed to Rioja in the form of excessively ripe, over-oaked, oxidised cumbersome ocean of swill.

Politics & corruption ruining much of the region.

Like all wine regions of the world, there have been those who have railed against this abuse, sought to be the exception. They have existed for centuries and they exist today.

The wines they make are the stuff of legend often aged for 6-10 years in barrel prior to a further 8-10 years in bottle before release. Historically these periods were often extended by a further decade in some form of economic martyrdom.

Luis Gutiérrez & William Kelley jointly sourced the wines for and co-authored the article “Spain & France: The Judgment of Palafrugell – 1947 Rioja & Bordeaux”. 

The 1947 wines from Rioja were drinking beautifully in September 2022. The Real amongst many achieving a perfect score had been bottled after 16 years in barrel!

La Rioja’s Vineyards

Rioja and it’s three current subzones Alta, Alavesa and Baja achieve no meaningful distinction between vineyards and wines. The area is vast with over 60,000Ha of vines planted. As Scott Wasley puts it, it’s the equivalent of using South East Australia to classify the wines NSW, Victora, SA and Tasmania. In the flyover below at the 20sec mark you’ll see a high level geological map of general soil types, it’s clear they run perpendicular to the general sub-region orientation along a number of rivers, valleys and sub-plains.

The fact that I’ve mentioned both the split in soil types, and, significant geological changes if enough for any vigneron worth their salt to call for a more detailed differentiation between key viticultural areas of Rioja. Politics, corruption and a bias toward bland mass-produced wines the adversaries of progress on mapping the region. Without more appropriate classification of vineyards we have to rely on the reputation of quality producer and their track record in the glass. Perhaps not a bad thing for an individual wine. Not great for the reputation of a region as a whole.

Work is to be done here. It will likely take many lifetimes! In the meantime, we rely on dedicated wine lovers to share the best of Rioja with the world.

La Rioja’s Wines

Rioja’s reds are blends dominated by Tempranillo with portions of Garnacha, Graciano & Mazuelo (AKA Carignan or Careñina). Historically and in some wines today small portions of white varieties were included in the mix.

Resources

Yet again Scott Wasley of The Spanish Acquisition has shared deep thought on a Spanish wine region, Rioja. You can read his thoughts in this piece “Beyond Reservas and Co”.