BIN ENDS WINE-TASTING GROUP
“Rioja Masterclass”
Presented by Clive Platman
Tuesday, 31st March 2009

Rioja is undoubtedly Spain’s best known red-wine region, building its reputation on oak-aged Tempranillo. Located in Northern Spain, about an hour’s drive south of Bilbao, the vineyards are set against the spectacular backdrop of the Cantabrian mountains.

The vineyards are located along the River Ebro, and the main wine towns are Logrono and Haro. The appellation is divided into three main sub-regions, producing three differing characters:
a. Rioja Alta - fullest in terms of fruit and concentration, but velvety-smooth.
b. Rioja Alavesa - produces wines of firm character, with more acidity and elegance.
c. Rioja Baja - produces wines with more body, but coarser and more alcoholic, with a greater
proportion of Garnacha

The principal grapes and typical proportions are:

Black
Tempranillo - gives acidity, bouquet and ageing (70%)
Garnacha (Grenache) gives body and alcohol (15%)
Graciano - freshness, flavour and aroma (7.5%)
Mazuelo (Carignan) - acidity, colour and extract (7.5%)

White
Viura(Maccabeo) - light, fruity wines, resistant to oxidation (95%)
Malvasia - fragrance, acidity and complexity (5%)

New rules recently introduced will permit the use of international varieties

Rioja, though, centres on the Spanish love-affair with oak. The traditional way of thinking is - the more oak you give to the wine, the better it becomes and, of course, the higher the price at which you can sell it.

The Crianza System
Labelling rules are strict, and somewhere on the front or back of a bottle of Rioja, there will be a label indicating the following:

1. Basic Rioja - this category includes “joven” or young wines given less than 12 months cask-ageing. It may also be used by modernists who do not wish to give their wines the appropriate period of ageing.

2. Crianza (nursery)
Reds must have 12 months in oak and 12 months storage before release.

3. Reserva
Reds must have minimum 12 months in oak, plus 2 years in store. Released after 3 years.

4. Gran Reserva
Reds must spend 24 months in cask, and 3 years in bottle. Generally released after 5 years.

Historically, Rioja houses would source grapes from across the 3 sub-zones throughout the entire region, producing a house-blend, then ageing according to the Crianza system. The modern trend is to source grapes from specific terroirs or individual vineyards, and these are known as Alta Expression, or High Expression wines. They fetch very high prices, too.

Whilst Rioja uses barriques (small barrels), like Bordeaux, the main difference is the use of American, rather then French oak. The grain is coarser, and typically produces coconut and cocoa characters. Modern winemakers are turning to French oak.

The purpose of our tasting was to look at a wide range of Rioja wine styles.

The Wines

1. Muga Blanco 2008 (Rioja Alta) (Majestic £8)
White Rioja is almost a by-product of what is almost an exclusively red-making region, as the wines are used to “season” the new barrels. Muga are top 5 producers and work almost exclusively with wood, employing some 4 full-time coopers.
Tasting Notes: White pear and spice, with a silky-smooth texture. Clean and fresh, yet with no character, somehow it lingers on the tongue. Better than it should be. CHP 16+, Bin Ends 0)

2. Faustino V Rosado 2007 (Rioja Alavesa) (Wine Rack/Threshers £6.99)
With 650 ha under vine, Faustino are the largest family-owned estate in the region. Using modern techniques to produce a range of traditional and modern wines, they have garnered a popular worldwide reputation. I particularly like their Rosado.
Tasting notes: Strawberry and raspberry fruit shot through with minerals and lemons. (CHP 16, Bin Ends 2 votes)

3. Vina Zaco 2006 Bodegas Bilbainas (Rioja Alta) (£7.99 independents)
Part of the Codorniu (Cava) group, this represents a fruit-focussed young Rioja.
Tasting Notes: Juicy black-cherry fruit, with pleasing earthy tannins and good follow-through. (CHP 15+, Bin Ends 1 vote)

4. Marques de la Concordia Rioja Tempranillo 2006 (Oddbins £9.99)
This is one division of a complex winery structure owned by Arco - Bodegas Unidas, including Berberana, Lagunilla and Marques de Grinon. Again, fruit-focussed style from an excellent vintage and benefits from decanting. 6 months new oak, 100% Tempranillo.
Tasting notes: Youthful and vibrant, with juicy raspberry fruit. Good structure, ripe tannins and pleasing follow-through. (CHP 16, Bin Ends 3)

5. Cosme Palacio Crianza 2006 (Rioja Alta) (£8.49 Tesco, Waitrose, Oddbins)
The subject of a management buyout from the giant Canadian Seagram group, this Bodega has gone from strength to strength. Michel Rolland consults. The Crianza spends 12 months in American oak and is 100% Tempranillo.
Tasting notes: Black-cherry and cocoa powder seasoned with toasty oak. Ruffled tannins on the mid-palate, with a delightful follow-through to a good finish. Beautifully crafted and superb value (CHP 17+, Bin Ends 11 votes).

6. Ijalba Graciano Crianza 2005 (Logrono Rioja Alta) (£10.75 Oddbins)
Founded as recently as 1990, this firm has already established a good reputation for its young wines. A 100% Graciano is somewhat of a rarity.
Tasting notes: A juicy combination of crushed bilberry, cranberry and loganberry fruit, supported by ripe tannins, finishing well. Vibrant and well-structured, it may benefit from a little more ageing. (CHP 16+, Bin Ends 2 votes).

7. Campo Viejo 2004 (Logrono Rioja Alta) (£8.99 widely available)
Once part of Bodegas y Bebidas, which in turn was part of Allied Domecq, since 2005 this winery and that of Ysios (below) are now under the control of Pernod-Ricard. Campo Viejo is a popular traditional blend, that personally does very little for me.
Tasting Notes: High-acid and astringent, with a little strawberry fruit just poking through for a smooth finish. What happened to the fruit? It’s been over-oaked. Light and thin. (CHP 13, Bin Ends 1 vote)

8. Ysios Reserva 2004 (Rioja Alavesa) (£14.99 Ocado)
A showpiece bodega specialising in Reserva quality wines.
Tasting Notes: Coconut with cherry fruit, finishing on cocoa powder, indicating prevalent use of American oak. Youthful, vibrant with a lovely structure. Highly recommended. (CHP 17+-18, Bin Ends 10 votes).

9. Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2004 (Rioja Alavesa) (£13.99-£16.49 Sainsbury/Majestic)
Winemaking here is a mixture of old and new, but standards are always consistently high. This is a great wine from a great vintage, but sadly our sample was corked.

10. Marques de Caceres 2001 Gran Reserva (Rioja Alta) (£17.99-£19.99 Oddbins/Majestic)
This is the bodega that changed the face of modern Rioja. Stainless steel temperature-controlled fermentation, and advice from the leading Bordeaux consultant, Emile Peynaud, enabled the owner, Enrique Forner, to produce a fruit, rather than oak focussed style, from 1970 onwards. Others have followed and surpassed.
Tasting Notes: Little discernible fruit, astringent alcoholic and fierce, with a short, harsh finish. Really disappointing. (CHP 13, Bin Ends 1 votes).

11. Vina Real Gran Reserva 1999 (Rioja Alavesa) (£19.99 Majestic)
Vina Real is an offshoot of the excellent CVNE empire and, since 2002, have been making wine from a state-of-the-art winery in Alava. Our sample pre-dates, but is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano, and typically spends around 30 months in cask.
Tasting notes: Refined strawberry and vanilla fruit, with lovely structure, weight and concentration with a long finish. Beautiful depth, dimension and balance. Very fine. (CHP 17+/18, Bin Ends 6 votes)

12. Baron de Ley 1998 Gran Reserva (Rioja Baja) (£17.99 Wine Rack)
The winery was established by El Coto and conceived as a single estate. The name means “Lord of Law”.
Tasting Notes: Again, classic flavours of strawberry and vanilla, but a little more rustic and volatile. It has marked acidity, but develops smooth silky notes, and has an amazingly long finish. Not quite in the Vina Real class. (CHP 17, Bin Ends 5 votes).

13. Roda Reserva 2003 Rioja Reserva (Rioja Alta) (£35 Metzendorff)
Established in 1987, but first made an impact 10 years later. The name is formed from the owner’s Mauricio ROttlan and his wife, Carmen DAurella. The wine is sourced from around 60 ha of the best vineyards, all from selected plots.
This bodega is at the cutting edge of the modern style, using traditional methods, but employing French oak. The Roda Reserva was previously labelled Roda II and contains a proportion of Graciano and Garnacha.
Tasting Notes: Glorious bouquet of cherry and vanilla, reflected on the palate. The texture was silky smooth, with integrated tannins, finishing on cherry and cocoa powder. Big, powerful, yet well balanced. Seriously lovely. (CHP 19, Bin Ends 13 votes).

Summary
Primarily a red wine tasting, the samples represented a wide, if not complete spectrum of the wine styles encountered within the region. At the lower end, the fruit focussed Concordia showed well after decanting, but the star for me was the Palacio Crianza, incredible value at £8.49. It’s a lovely wine from a very fine vintage, and well worth hoovering up if seen on promotion.

At nearly double the price, the Ysios Reservas gave immense pleasure in the modern style, again from an excellent year. Amongst the Gran Reservas, the Vina Real really shone through, demonstrating that a wine can spend three years in a cask and not be ruined, as long as the raw material is of the right quality in the first place.

The star of the show was the Roda and this was their “entry-level wine! Easily the most popular of the night, it showed that, whilst we all enjoyed a traditional Rioja, we preferred the modern style. Nonetheless, there was enough wine on display to suit all palates and wallets.

 Coming Up:

Tuesday, 28th April
PINOT-PHILIA
For those of you familiar with the award-winning comedy film
“Sideways”, Pinot Noir is a grape variety with an almost cult following.
Like the lead character, Miles, it’s sensitive, difficult and, at times, infuriating.
We will have a look at how it fares from various locations across the globe
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 2nd June
(one week later than usual because of my holiday
and Bank Holiday)
AUSTRALIA
Guest speakers from Hereford have been invited to give a presentation
of “boutique” Australian wine.
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 30th June
(I’m sure you can manage two tastings in a month!)
A TASTE OF AUSTRIA
For a relatively small and little-known wine-producing country,
Austria produces a host of bright and fruit whites and reds.
Get to know your Gruners from your Rieslings, and
Tell the difference between Blaubergers and Blauer Zeltgeits.
(entry £10-£15 per head)

FRIDAY, 10th July 2009
Put this date in your diaries ...
The now traditional Bin Ends Barbecue,
To be held at the home of Barbara & Derek Lamb
In Quinton, Birmingham
Tickets and further details will be available shortly,
So please ... watch this space

THERE WILL BE NO “BIN ENDS” TASTING IN AUGUST
But over the holidays, please sharpen your taste-buds for ...

Tuesday, 22nd September 2009-03-10
Once again, we welcome Wine Educator Laura Clay
Who will be bringing along a selection of Portuguese wines
For us to sample and talk about.
(£10 per head)

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com