When Vino took the significant step to open up its borders in 2010, Ramírez de la Piscina Rioja Reserva was one of the first non-Italian wines on our list. Unsurprisingly, since in addition to demonstrating all the classic hallmarks of a Vino favorite, this sultry Spaniard also boasted a rare and appealing combination: ageworthiness and affordability. The 2001 Reserva was an instant hit with you too, prompting us to feature it in an email back in October in which we patted ourselves on the back for having found an aged wine “at a price that allows everyone to experience the magic.”

Now we’ve skipped ahead to bring you the 2005. It’s a wine that’s remarkably similar in character to the exceptional 2001 vintage, but perhaps somewhat more delicate. It may not have the years on it yet, but we have no doubt this aged beauty will prove another early success.

Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina lies near San Vicente de la Sonsierra in the heart of La Rioja Alta. The noble Ramírez de la Piscina name has its origins around the time of the first crusade of 1099. Established in 1980, the 18 hectare estate cultivates Tempranillo (for the red wines), Garnacha and Viura (for the rosados), which produce traditional wines of exceptional value. The Rioja Reserva 2005 is aged in cask for 15 months, followed by 21 months in the bottle. The wine strikes a complex balance of ripe strawberry fruit and developed flavors like spice, leather and vanilla. You’ll find youthful red fruit in addition to evolved flavors such as leather and tobacco. All this plays out on a palate of silky tannins, which have been smoothed over by time.

The Spanish tradition of labeling their wines according to how long they’ve been aged has long been a boon to those looking to experience the pleasures of older wine. It’s a pity more wineries don’t shoulder the burden of cellaring provided its benefit for market: inexpensive, mature wine. ¡Viva España!

Ramírez de la Piscina Reserva 2005
$26

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

Some wine-producing countries are known for churning out values. In the mid-1990s, both Chile and Spain established themselves as countries capable of making inexpensive, but expressive and distinctive wines. As the market evolved, the desire to understand these places through their unique terroirs lent itself to the firm conviction that appellation matters even if one’s spending less than $15 for a bottle.  And so the world clamored for the latest and greatest as the virtues of Casablanca Valley and Bierzo were extolled by the press. What many failed to mention or even recognize was that many such regions (particularly in Spain) had been already producing quality wine for over a century. Case in point: the Southwestern appellation of Jumilla which has been producing wine since before the mid-19^th Century. Interestingly, Jumilla is one of Spain’s oldest DO’s having become an official appellation in 1966. No producer embodies this region and its signature grape Monastrell more than Olivares. In fact, to taste Olivares’ single vineyard Monastrell, Altos de la Hoya, is to savor the particular combination of terroir, history and value-driven wine-making that propelled Spain to the forefront over the last 15 years.

Olivares’ proprietor Paco Selva’s vineyards lie at over 800 meters above sea level; this elevation produces cool evenings which helps to temper the region’s hot days resulting in wines that possess both freshness and vibrancy. The uniqueness of Selva’s estate is best described by Olivares’ importer The Rare Wine Co.:

“Paco’s 65 hectare here boasts incredibly sandy soil and ungrafted vines, of which this may be the world’s largest individual holding. The former provides the wine with a rich perfume; the latter depth and complexity. These same sandy soils that give Bodegas Olivares’ wines their perfumed aromatics were also anathema to the Phylloxera root louse that devastated all but a handful of Europe’s vineyards in the late 1880’s. And so Paco’s holdings form an important part of an elite group of vineyards that survived on their original rootstocks, including Quinta do Noval’s Nacional vineyard and Bollinger’s Vignes Françaises.”

Wine critic Robert Parker has stated that, “Olivares’ ancient ungrafted Monastrell vines yield stunning wine,” and their “Altos de la Hoya” bottling is no exception. First released in 2000, it has since evolved into one of Spain’s best values. A little spicy, this Jumilla possesses an earthy backbone that balances its ripe fruit. Sure, it’d be easy to continue to heap praise on this wine, but when something is this good its best to shut one’s mouth and raise a glass. Cheers!

Olivares “Altos de la Hoya” Jumilla Monastrell 2009
$13

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

What is it about wine that makes modern drinkers think they need to shun classic regions in order to be with the in-crowd? We’ve already discussed Bordeaux, and will address Chianti in time. Today’s topic is Rioja, yet another quality wine region that people nervously seem to shy away from. As Gretchen Thomas succinctly blogged, “Much like fashion, music and art, a wine can become passé to its collectors and critics once it has been ‘over played’ on the scene, and the hipsters of the wine world may roll their eyes when offered to try yet another Rioja, and I must admit, I ashamedly once considered Rioja *gasp* boring.” Of course, she came to (which is a good thing considering she oversees the largest Spanish wine program in the US) and now believes “that Rioja offers some of the most outstandingly unique wines in the market.” We, at Vino, agree and this week’s argument in a glass comes in the form of Ontañón Rioja Crianza 2007.

Bodegas Ontañón (above) is, as Jon Rimmerman of Garagiste Wine puts it, a “Rioja entity that defines a modern sense of the category with traditional means – one that places fruit and terroir over new oak and flash but keeps the fruit intensity dialed up to eleven.” Woman-owned and operated, Ontañón manages to seamlessly walk the line between the modern and the traditional.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from some of the highest altitude vineyards in all of Rioja. The town of Quel (above), where the winery is located, is 500 meters above sea level. Situated in the sub-region of Rioja Baja, Ontañón’s vineyards enjoy warmer days and less rainfall than the neighboring sub-regions of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. Interestingly, the estates boasts one hectare of pre-phylloxera Garnacha vines. This blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha is aged in a mixture of both new (60%) and old (40%) American (60%) and French (40%) oak barrels. As Rimmerman describes it, the “Crianza is subtle and elegant but also powerful and dense with a natural fruit and mineral extract that is just not the norm in this region. Think 2005 Chinon meets low-alcohol Priorat and you will be close. Whatever it is, it’s good. REALLY good.”

The best wines aren’t always the most popular, but they’re always distinctive. As the New York Times wine writer concluded in yesterday’s article on Torrontés, distinctive wines possess the power to offend; this is often good thing.

Ontañón Rioja Crianza 2007
$15

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

Harry Waugh once wrote that “the first duty of wine is to be red.” This wisdom is questionable in warmer months, but when the weather turns blustery one might wonder whether Mr. Waugh was onto something. There is, of course, an exception to every rule, and we at Vino have a knack for finding the exceptional. The Marqués de Murrieta “Capellanía” Rioja Blanco 2005 makes a strong case for opening one’s mind to the idea of whites for winter.

Marqués de Murrieta has a storied history which dates to the mid-19^th Century. The estate’s longstanding reputation situates it as one of Spain’s finest wineries. As the Wine Doctor Chris Kissack notes, “Marques de Murrieta is unquestionably one of the leading bodegas in Rioja.”

The wine is made entirely from Viura grapes from the Rioja Alta. Like Italy’s Trebbiano, Viura tends to make neutral, everyday whites, though sometimes a special producer  can coax liquid magic from it. Marqués de Murrieta is such a producer. The vines come from the eponymous Capellanía vineyard where the vines are about 50 years old. On September 19^th, the grapes were hand harvested and gently pressed in a traditional horizontal basket press.  After a slow, controlled three week-fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine was matured in 225 liter oak barrels for 18 months and then bottled. The resultant wine is golden in color, expressively complex, and almost savory in nature.

This is a wine that will stand up to cold weather, pork chops, and white wine naysayers. The skeptics have been warned; something wicked good this way comes.

Marqués de Murrieta “Capellanía” Rioja Blanco 2005
$24

For more information please contact 212-725-6516 or info@vinosite.com.