2019 Lanzaga Rioja, Bodega Lanzaga

In Burgundy terms, Lanzago is Telmo Rodríguez’s ‘village wine’, made from some of the best fruit grown around the village of Lanciego. Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano grapes were co-fermented with indigenous yeasts in cement tanks. The wine spent 14 months in a mix of 15- to 25-hl foudres and 225-litre barriques before blending and bottling without finning or filtration in June 2021. Certified organic.

“Deep garnet with purplish rim. Intense, rich, fragrant (but not exactly floral) and not overly sweet-smelling black fruit, the oak very much subservient to the fruit, adding just a touch of savoury spice. Rich, smooth, deep, whole-hearted and still elegant in its fruit depth. A dark, fresh, long, deliciously dry aftertaste. You could approach this now with food but it has the harmony and structure to age well for a good decade, but drink it sooner if you prefer fruit to more mature tertiary flavours. Still very youthful even if the tannins are smooth and totally integrated. One of the wines that seems effortless even though you know it wasn’t.”

17/20 Julia Harding MW for Jancis Robinson MW

“Wild herbs and tangy white-pepper notes on top of the fresh-toned red and black cherries, plums and hints of citrus zest, sweet red berries and minerals. Polished, dusty tannins spread evenly across the medium-bodied palate, with juicy, vivid plums and berries. Nothing showy here, but it’s beautifully balanced and understated, showing real fruit vibrancy and harmony.”

95 Points, James Suckling

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