After a quick overnight stop in Segovia for some suckling pig, and a timely lunch break at Hotel Landa in Burgos for some baby lamb, we were ready to settle into Rioja and taste some wine. We opted for Longroño as a central place to stay and it proved to be a great city for nightlife and food. Each day we made a trek up to Laguardia or Haro to meet with our producers and rediscover what makes Rioja such an exciting region.

Bodegas Roda was first on our list and Victor made sure we could taste through the new vintages and get a better understanding of the wines. They recently released their first white wine made from the Viura grape with a heavy but constructive use of oak. Absolutely stunning and you will see it on our wine rack ahead of Christmas. 

Roda has taken a modern approach to Rioja winemaking, using French oak, smaller barrels, and releasing wines at an earlier date than their friends on the Haro train tracks. The results are wines that are fruit forward, ripe, and pure. They often need a bit more time in the cellar to unwind. Luckily for us, Victor has some Sela 2019 remaining in the cellar we were able to purchase while we wait for the 2021 to come into its own. 

The Roda I 2019 had both power and finesse and was the standout in this tasting. We purchased a fair amount of it. The wine undoubtedly needs time to come into its own, but the huge potential of the 2019 vintage is an opportunity I did not want to miss. 

After a wonderful lunch, we were off to Artadi in Laguardia. The Artadi family has decided to drop out of the Rioja DOC in favor of building their own identity in Laguardia. The story and the reasoning is complex, but the Artadi style speaks for itself. The family’s independent nature, and their drive to showcase what Laguardia imparts on the wines, is impressive. Much like Roda, this is modern winemaking, with a focus on terroir and purity. The wines are full of energy and ripe fruit, silky tannins and perfect use of oak. We hope to have an allocation in the coming months.

Muga stands at the center of our Rioja portfolio and for good reason. The brothers are focussed on their blend of modern and traditional methods which give their wines a unique identity. The Reserva is a classic wine that always delivers above its price point. In good years, it outshines its competitors and in tough years, the Muga family declassifies the fruit that usually goes into the flagship Prado Enea and Torre Muga and allows the Reserva to benefit. 

Prado Enea and Torre Muga are only made in the best of years, so we always purchase our allocations when available. Prado Enea is far more elegant than the Torre Muga, with longer bottle aging and fruit from a cooler micro-climate. Torre Muga is more ripe and upfront, almost showing some New World characteristics. The Aro is their flagship and we will hopefully get a small allocation next year for the first time.

Our final visit was with the newest addition to our portfolio, Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia. These wines are as traditional as they come, aging in the cellar and in bottle for extended periods of time. José, a family member and commercial director, was available to meet us and give us a beautiful tour of this historic winery. He was also able to explain the family philosophy behind these iconic Rioja wines. Tondonia is all about the secondary and tertiary aromas in the wines, which develop as the wine ages in perfect condition. The primary red fruits fade and develop into notes of tobacco, forest floor, and mushroom. The Tondonia cellar is pure magic and we capped it off with a glass of the 1990 Tondonia Reserva before finding our way north to San Sebastián.

My greatest takeaway from our short visit to Rioja is that every winery has its own unique identity. At the lower end of Rioja, you have mass production and volume wines that lack character and identity. Avoid these wines at all costs and don’t allow them to affect your view on the region. At the upper end of the spectrum you have wineries that are producing extremely high quality wines at fair value. These wines age as well as Bordeaux and often come in at a fraction of the prices.