Rioja Flashcards
Rioja Towns
Producers
- HARO - La Rioja Alta, Lopez de Heredia, Cvne, Muga, Roda
- LOGROÑO - Artadi, Marques de Murrieta
- FUENMAYOR - Bodegas LAN, Finca Lapiedra
- CENICERO - Marques de Caceres
- SAN VINCENTE DE LA SONSIERRA - Senorio de San Vincente, Hermanos Peciña
- BRIONES - Finca Allende
- LABASTIDA (ALAVESA) - La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri
- OYON (ALAVESA) - Bodegas el Coto
Lopez Heredia Wines
- RESERVA & GRAN RESERVA vineyards:
- Tondonia - Bdx Bottle - fruit and structure, usually 75 Tempranillo, rest Maz. and Grac.
- Bosconia - Burg. Bottle - bigger, warmer, earthier, spend a year less in oak, higher % Tempranillo
- Tondonia also makes whites, Bosconia does not (Tondonia white is 85% Viura, ages 6 yrs in barrel)
- Cubillo - Red only, a crianza that has the taste of Tondonia
- Gravonia - White only, 4 years in barrel, 100% Viura
What does CVNE stand for?
Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España
What is CVNE’s flagship wine?; what is it named for?
Imperial
- named for the Imperial Pint, 563mL or 19oz
- the wine was occasionally bottled in Imperial pints at its inception
- released as both Reserva and Gran Reserva
What is the blend on CVNE Imperial?
- *Tempranillo, plus Mazuelo, Graciano, Viura**
- *Originally 2/3 Alta and 1/3 Alavesa; today, it is 100% Rioja Alta**
What is Viña Real?
- Previously a wine produced by CVNE from 2/3 Alavesa and 1/3 Alta, it is now 100% Alavesa, and, as of 2004, its own independent winery
- blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo
What are the white wines of CVNE?
Monopole: Viura, all stainless steel
Corona: 90% Viura, 10% Malvasia, semi-sweet, partially botrytized, aged in new american oak
What is Real de Asua?
- Superlative bottling from CVNE commemorating the founders of the estate
- Aged in 100% new french oak
- 1st vintage 1994; not produced in all vintages
- What is Pagos de Viña Real?
Pagos de Viña Real
- Prestige cuvée of Viña Real
- 100% Tempranillo from estate vineyards
- 100% new french oak
- 1st vintage 2001
Pre 1981, how were the wines of Lopez de Heredia labeled in terms of vintage?
- They were labeled by time between harvest and bottling
- e.g. Viña Bosconia 5 Ano.
What are the vineyards of Lopez de Heredia?
Viña Tondonia (100ha)
Viña Bosconia (15ha)
Viña Cubillo (60ha)
Viña Zaconia (60ha)
What is the traditional label for Viña Tondonia Rosado?
Viña Tondonia Rosado
- Crianza, although it generallyagesat least10years
- has been released as Gran Reserva on occasion
What is the prime directive at Lopez de Heredia?
Expression of site from year to year, to the extent of taking action to combat the vagaries of vintage in the cellar to preserve the style of each site.
Lopez de Heredia
Current releases
- Tondonia Gran Reserva: 1994 (Rojo y Blanco), 2000 (Rosado)
- Tondonia Reserva: 2003 (Rojo), 2001 (Blanco)
- Bosconia Gran Reserva: 1995
- Bosconia Reserva: 2004
- Cubillo: 2007
- Gravonia: 2005
Who was the founder of Bodegas Muga, and where did they learn to make wine?
- Aurora Caño, with her husband Issac Muga in 1932
- Her father was the cellarmaster at La Rioja Alta
What is the hallmark of Muga?
- A commitment to oak, particularly from the1960’s on
- *when oak was falling out of fashion**
- There is also a richness and density to the wines on account of late picking
Who owns La Rioja Alta?
There are a number of stockholders, but the bulk of the company belongs to the original 5 families that founded it.
Where do the names of the La Rioja Alta wines come from?
Named for vineyards named for founding families:
- Alberdi
- Araña
- Ardanza
What other wineries does La Rioja Alta SA own?
- Lagar de Cervera (Rías Baixas)
- Aster (Ribera del Duero)
- Barón de Oña (Rioja)
What is the alternative name for the Viña Ardanza vineyard?
Finca La Cuesta (90ha)
What is the alternative name for the Viña Arana vineyard?
Finca Las Cuevas (76ha)
What sales technique was La Rioja Alta a pioneer of?
- The special club (essentially a mailing list) called Club de Cosecheros
- Enabled its members to purchase a cask of wine direct from the winery and have access for visits and dinners
What is the difference between Gran Reservas 904 and 980?
-
904
- Aged 4 years
- Named for the year that La Rioja Alta merged with Bodegas Ardañza
- Current release 2004
-
890
- Aged 6-8 years in barrel, plus 6 years in bottle
- Not made every vintage
- Named for the year the winery was founded
- Current release 2001
What is the difference between Roda I and Roda?; what is their classification?
-
Roda (previous to 2001 sold as Roda !!)
- youthful, fresh cherry plots
-
Roda I
- darker, more mineral, plummy plots
- *Both released as Reserva
Roda: Traditional or Modern?
Roda
- Modern - all French oak, 50% new
- vinified plot by plot (bordelaise model)
What is Cirsion?
Cirsion
A “concept wine” from Roda seeking silkiness and polymerization of tannin in the finished wine
How did Artadi begin?; what was the official name?
Artadi
- As a cooperative of young growers, named Consecheros Alaveses (all in Rioja Alavesa)
- Founded by Juan Carlos López de Lacalle
- Today. it’s a private company
What is El Sequé?
El Seque
Jumilla estate owned by López de Lacalle, Agapito Rico, and Jean-François Gadeau (winemaker at Artadi since the early 2000’s)
Artadi: Wines
Vino Joven: fresh, unoaked, carbonic
Viñas de Gain: bread and butter, 100% Tempranillo, traditional
Orobio: young vine tempranillo, half screwcap, half tank
Pagos Viejos: A blend of the 3 old vine vineyards
Grandes Añadas: A special blend made only in great vintages.
Viña El Pison: López de Lacalle’s estate vineyard, planted in 1945, bottled separately.
Artadi: Single Vineyard wines
- El Pison (perennial)
- EL Carretil
- La Poza
- Valdeparaíso
1st vintage for the final three 2009 - also go into Pagos Viejos
Who are the two producers who claim to have been the first to produce wine under Bordelais methods, and when?
Marqués de Riscal
Marqués de Murrieta
Early 1860’s
Who planted the Marqués de Riscal’s Cabernet, and when?
- Jean Pineau of Château Lanessan, hired by the current Marqués, Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga
- 9,000 vines in 1860 (also included some Malbec, Merlot, and Pinot Noir)
What is ‘Cuvée Médoc’?
‘Cuvée Médoc’
- Bottling from Marqués de Riscal
- 60%+ Cab Sauv
- Particularly successful in the early 20th century; *discontinued in the 1950’s
- 1945 is argued to be one of the greatest wines produced in Spain
What is Barón de Chirel?
Barón de Chirel
- cuvée started in 1986 by Marqués de Riscal, containing15-20% Cab Sauv
Marqués de Riscal: Production
Marqués de Riscal
- At this point, over 3 million bottles annually of the basic Reserva
- less of Gran Reserva and Barón de Chirel
- 220 ha owned by the family, and 985 ha under contract
When was Marqués de Caceras founded, and by whom?; what is the structure of the winery?
Marqués de Caceras
- 1960s, byEnrique Forner, w/ Emile Peynaud as consultant
- 1st vintage was 1970, blended by Peynaud out of the coop cellars in Cenicero; released as Crianza in 1973 and immediately made them famous
- They do not own any vineyards, but instead buy all grapes on a long term contract
What made Marqués de Caceras famous?
Marqués de Caceras
- Modern, innovative winemaking based around freshness of fruit
Marqués de Caceras
Production
Marqués de Caceras
- 10 million bottles out of 2,300ha worth of vines
Marqués de Caceras: Wines
Blanco: Joven, Antea Barrica, Satinela Semidulce (all viura plus malvasia)
- *Rosado:
- Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva***
Gaudium: Prestige cuvee, 1st vintage 1994; released in 1996, 2001, 2004
What is unique about Bodegas Riojanas?
Bodegas Riojanas
- They only work with Estate Vineyards (300ha)
Bodegas Riojanas
Wines
- Monte Real
- Viña Albina Gran Reserva