1. Gran Familia, Rioja, 2005, $13
2. Marques de Riscal Reserva, Rioja, 2003, $25
3. Marques de Caceres, Reserva, Rioja, 2001, $25 (94 w.s)
4. Atalayas de Golban, Ribero de Duero, 2005, $23 (90 i.w.c)
5. Artadi, Rioja, 2005, $35 (91 w.e.)
Thoughts on Tempranillo:
Characteristics of Tempranillo:
· Ruby red color
· Aromas and flavors of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb
Rioja:
· Named after the Rio (river) Oja
· History of grapes since 873; history of viticulture since 1063
· Geography: continental mountainous (1500ft above sea level), clay with chalk and iron
· Divided into three regions: Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta (cooler), Rioja Baja (hotter and drier, more Mediterranean climate, more often used for blending)
· Rioja wine usually a mix of: Tempranillo (50-90%), Garnacha (Grenache), Graziano, and Mazuelo (Carignan)
· Rioja wine usually aged in oak: first large oak tanks for primary fermentation, then oak barrels
· Classification: Rioja (youngest, less than one year in oak), Crianza (aged for two years, of which at least one in oak), Reserva (aged for three years, at least one in oak), Gran Reserva (aged for at least two years in oak and three years in bottle)
· Wines very variable: good years are 2001 and 2005; bad years are 2002 (too cold and rainy) and 2003 (too hot)
· Recent trend (since 1990s) of “new classics”: small artisanal Rioja’s created with ‘old vine’ Tempranillos and aging in French Oak adding flavors of toast and chocolate. Examples: Muga, Marques de Riscal, Roda, Artadi
Ribero del Duero
· Follows the course of the Duero river
· Geography: Further South than Rioja on Northern Plateau, characterized by flat rocky terrain, silty/clayey sand, extreme climactic conditions within and across seasons (summer = 100 F, winters as low as 0 F)
· Tempranillo grape usually blended with Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot
· “To get elegance and acidity out of Tempranillo, you need a cool climate. But to get high sugar levels and the thick skins that give deep color you need heat. In Spain these two opposites are best reconciled in the continental climate but high altitude of the Ribera del Duero” Oz Clarke
More recently Tempranillo venturing outside of Spain: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, California, Australia
Some interesting articles:
http://www.winemag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=82EE93BD5A98404BA185D801FE455C1B
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempranillo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioja_(wine)
http://blog.winemag.com/index.php/2007/08/23/californias-tempranillo-frontier/
