The Wines of Rioja & Ribera del Duero

The world's great varieties, few speak to a single country as decidedly as Tempranillo. It's a beautiful grape variety. I always say Tempranillo is the flavor of Spain. Tempranillo has 40 different names all over the Spanish geography. It depends on the area. You go to Ribeiraduero, they call it Tinta Fina, Tinta al Pais, Tinta de Toro, but at the end it's almost the same grape in different locations. Tempranillo is named for its tendency to ripen early. While the grape thrives as far south as La Mancha, the Iberian Peninsula's most planted red grape finds marked distinction in the hills of Rioja and Ribeiraduero. Here the grape forms the heart of Spain's preeminent red wines. Rioja is the very north of Spain. We are with the border with the Basque Country. The climate is continental and what is very important is these mountains. These mountains separate with the Basque Country but makes like a special microclimate. The growing season in Rioja is long and dry. And it's not only the climate, it's the soil. We have a special region with the Ebro River with the soils, clay carcass soils. But in a very dry country like ours, we need to have soils that can drain very well so that the roots can go deep, lots of meters, and can survive the dryness. Picturesque villages line the landscape. The town of Aro, an open-air museum of vibrant architecture, serves as the region's wine capital. Here to Bordeaux, you have like two hours and a half driving. The historic relationship between France and Rioja laid the foundation for the development of the region. Rioja's commercial viability was born from the devastation of phylloxera further north. It is a very important thing because in fact Rioja was born. When the phylloxera destroyed France, we were sending a lot of wine in bulk to Bordeaux. The wine used to be transported by train to Bordeaux in the late 1800s. During the crisis, Rioja would supply Bordeaux with needed wine. In return, Bordeaux would strengthen Rioja with generations of experience. It's true when French came here, they showed us how to age the wine in oak. Historically, American oak was more affordable and available than its French counterpart. And in time, the defining characteristics of American oak helped shape the identity of traditional Rioja. Today, philosophy of oak usage and whether or not to employ French or American barrels is a stylistic decision of individual bodegas. Nowadays, we are using more French than American. But since the beginning, the identity of Rioja was more American oak than French. It's known because of the Tempranillo, it's the most important grape variety. But there is a blending that made Rioja famous, and it's the blending of Tempranillo, a small percentage of Grenache, because we needed to balance the alcohol content historically in Rioja, and a small percentage of Graziano and Mazuelo. Mazuelo, we call it Mazuelo, but it's the same grape variety as Carignan. This is a classical blending for red wines. Rioja consists of three sub-regions, Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Baja. The Rioja Alta wines were always known because of the freshness, the level of acidity given by the Tempranillo, but also given by the Graziano and Mazuelo. Rioja Alta, we are making aging wines, quality aging wines. Rioja Alta is known for producing a classic and elegant style. The highest elevation of the three, Rioja Alta can produce wines of evident finesse, and the fruit from this area is often the most sought after. Rioja Alavesa has a classical blending. Rioja Alavesa takes its name from the northern province of Alava. Its reputation is for wines that are acid-driven and firm in structure, with the best fruit coming from the region's less fertile soils. Rioja Baja is more young wines. And the flavor, the nose of Rioja Baja comes more dictated by the Grenache. Grenache dominates Rioja Baja, with greater Mediterranean influence. Its expression is rich in fruit and alcohol, and best drunk young, or as a blending partner for the Tempranillo that prevails further west. The general aging requirements for red wine in Spain are surpassed by longer standards in Rioja for Crianza, Reserva, and the highest level, Gran Reserva. Nowadays, there are not many wineries in Rioja that can produce the Gran Reserva, because those wines you have to keep at the winery many years. For the Gran Reserva, it has to be at least five years before release, and two and a half in Bari. So it's at least seven, eight years before release. When you smell the wine, you feel the black pepper, you feel the cinnamon, red fruits. But the black pepper from Tempranillo is very typical from the Rioja wines. Despite being famous for its red wines, Rioja can produce high-quality and long-lived whites. For white wines, the classical historical blending is Garnacho, White Grenache, Malvasia, and also Viura, is the most important grape variety that is well known in Spain as Macabeo. The white wines we use with vegetables, asparagus, artichoke. The artichoke doesn't go very well with many of the wines, but with our white, it goes quite well. Versatility of the area's white wines with local produce is noted, but probably outshined by the harmony of Rioja's reds and regional game. With Rioja wines, and with this one, with our Reserva, in this region, it's very typical, the lamb. Here in Rioja, it's very typical, there are lambs that are 25 days old, and here in Rioja it's very typical because Rioja belongs to Castile, and it's always been very typical here, the lamb, and it's done a lot on the grill, which is done in other restaurants, and we do it in the wood oven, which we've been doing here for 140 years. And we are, I'm the fifth generation. South of Aro, the Duero River flows westward towards Ribero del Duero, the Tempranillo grape's second home in northern Spain. We are in a central north part of Spain. Ribera del Duero has special weather because we are one of the highest areas who produce vines in Spain. This type of soil that we have here is very complex soil, but here we have the ash-yield soil and the sandy soil. After we have another soil, like limestone, that gives very, very nice, very good for our youngest wine because it gives to us a lot of complexity in the nose, a lot of flowers. The most of the variety that we use here in this region is Tempranillo. We must use at least 75% of this variety. Though not required, international grapes are a common feature in Ribera del Duero. In addition to Garnacha, Tempranillo can be supported by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. This region was born in 1982, so it has 33 years old. It's very young. Here, modern buildings are juxtaposed against ancient Spanish settlements, creating stark contrasts, as most of Ribera's wineries were built within the last 30 years. The singular exception to Ribera del Duero's modern tenancy is the iconic Vega Sicilia. Founded in 1864, their success helped forge the region and define its style. As with Rioja, oak usage is paramount, and the choice of French or American wood creates distinction in the wines. We use 100% French oak. Regardless of the oak's origins, the Ribera denomination dictates that age-worthy wines from Crianza to Gran Reserva must be aged in wood. Crianza is the wine that has two years with 12 months of oak, at least. Reserva is a wine of 12 months. Despite a rich history of the vine, Spain's wine-growing traditions are being pushed forward by modern ideas. Perhaps this is the message that Tempranillo conveys most, illustrated by the range of styles the grape affords in its two most prominent regions.