David Moreno and his wife own this splendid, family-run bodega in the Rioja Alta, where the continental-type climate, resulting from the fortuitous protection of the Cantabrian mountains, ensures that the wet, northerly winds, so often seen in this part of Spain, are very rarely a threat. Situated in the San Millan valley, in the foothills of Mount St. Lorenzo, the Morenos established their Bodega over twenty years ago and have been making a Cosecha Rioja (90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha) which spends four months in new oak that is delicious when drunk young as it is literally bursting with refreshing, vibrant fruit, coupled with a seductive vanilla backdrop.
The impressive Olarra bodega, situated in Logroño, was established in the 1970's by a syndicate of local, wealthy businessmen and has built up a strong following in recent years. We have been especially impressed by their Añares Tinto Rioja Reserva (65% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano) which is aged for two years in oak 'tinas' and a further 20 months in oak barriques. It is spicily complex with an integrated oaky fruitiness, and is very much a classic, old-fashioned Rioja.
Located in the historic 'Barrio de la Estación' in Haro, Bodegas Muga, is a family company where the style and character of the wines has long been classically traditional. Carefully 'triaged' grapes are hand-picked and then fermented in large oak vats. Following this, the wines are transferred to small American-oak barriques where they stay for anything up to 20 months, depending on the vintage. These are hand-crafted Riojas that represent some of the finest wines from this region. The Muga Tinto Reserva is powerful and rich with dollops of oaky fruit, whilst the Prado Enea Gran Reserva has the same grape mix (80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 10% Graciano) but comes from terribly old vines and spends four years in cask and a further two in bottle. It is still dark ruby in colour, has a nose of herbs, plums and spice and an intensity of fruit that belies its age. A recent new addition has been the Selección Especial Reserva which is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Mazuelo & Graciano. This is a remarkable Rioja which has been aged for 36 months in oak. It is a concentrated and complex wine with exquisite aromas and rich, ripe fruit and a long, spicy finish.
Compaņia Vinicola del Norte de Espaņa, HARO, RIOJA ALTA & RIOJA ALAVESA
The Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España (or, as it is better known, CVNE) opened its £12 million winery in Haro in 1992 and it is still probably one of the most modern and best equipped in Europe. This high-profile, quality orientated firm was established in 1879 and today is run by direct fourth generation descendants. CVNE, still very much a traditional-style bodega, own over 1000 acres of their own vines in both the Rioja Alta and Alavesa which supply over 65% of their overall needs. The Monopole Blanco is a barrel-fermented white Rioja, a style which was pioneered by CVNE's winemaker, Basilio Izquierdo, combining the classical use of American oak with the intense fruity flavours and refreshing acidity of the Viura and Malvasia varieties. The CVNE Rioja Tinto comes from the alluvial vineyards of the Rioja Alta and is soft and openly fruity with just a whiff of oak. The CVNE Reserva comes from grapes grown near the villages of Briones and Torremontalbo and is full of oaky, jammy ripe fruit with a deceptively long finish. The Viña Real wines, coming from the El Ciego region in the Rioja Alavesa, are much fuller and rounder, whilst the Imperial pair are made from grapes sourced in the far north-west of the Rioja Alta, in the arid mountainous region surrounding the villages of Anguciano and Villalba, and are supremely complex and elegant and multidimensional.
Managed and run by CVNE, Contino is one of the small number of estate-bottled wines that are available from Rioja and, run by the energetic and dynamic José Madrazo, it has built up a reputation over the years for producing intense, ripe and succulent Reservas. Situated between Laserna and Casablanca, there is a hillside plateau on a bend in the river Ebro, where the soils in the higher part are clay soil based on limestone and those nearer the river being more alluvial, the two soil types resulting in a wine that is complex and smoky with copious quantities of black-cherry fruit and outstanding concentration. The blend for the Reserva leans towards the traditional, being 85% Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo and 10% Graciano. We have added José Madrazo's 'star wine' this year, the mind-blowing Viña del Olivo which is a 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano blend from the 'Olive Tree' plot. It is a wine to lay-down and forget about for ten years or so,
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