Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2019

Description

“If you asked me to name just one producer from Rioja that you should buy, it would be Valenciso … A small treasure in the great sea of Rioja.” Jesús Barquin one of the most influential wine critics in Spain who co authored the Spanish wine bible The Finest Wines of Rioja and Northwest Spain.

From humble beginnings, Valenciso has become one of the leading lights of Rioja’s small, yet growing band of terroir-focused producers. The operation began in 1998 when Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso rented a small warehouse with barely enough space to produce their first vintage of 2000 cases. Things have steadily progressed from there and no one who follows the area well would dispute the benchmark status that is now regularly afforded this producer.

This estate’s flagship perfectly encapsulates Luis Gutiérrez’s assertion that Valenciso is one of the most traditional of Rioja’s modern producers. From a selection of handpicked Tempranillo from the clay/limestone soils around Ollauri, the grapes are drawn from 17 organically managed plots spread across the villages of Villalba, Gimileo, Rodezno, Briones and Haro, all within a five-kilometre radius of the winery.

Part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos), these venerable sites lie at the heart of Rioja’s grower-producer genesis in the late 19th century. Key to the quality includes the patrimony of old-vine Tempranillo (no less than 60 years old in this cuvée) and excellent limestone calcário soils at altitudes up to 600 metres. In the right hands, these historic terroirs imbue their wines with aromatic intensity and great structure for longevity.

The wine ferments naturally in concrete vats before aging for 18 months in (mostly) low-toast Radoux French oak barriques. In recent vintages, 10% of the wine has also been raised in low-toast Caucasus oak, further lessening the wine’s already minimal wood influence. Following aging in barrel, the wine is transferred back to cool concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find the wine clarifies so well in concrete that there is no need to fine or filter it before bottling. “We seek wines with aromatic volume, wines that shine not out of weight but of perfume,” explains Luis Valentín.

94 points, Tim Atkin MW, Rioja Report 2023 “The latest in a fine run of Reservas from Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso, this well-priced Tempranillo combines components from Briones, Gimileo, Haro, Ollauri, Rodezno and Villalba. Youthful, structured and vigorous, it’s a compact, serious, age-worthy red that manages to sidestep the heat of the vintage. Inky and profound with dark plum and blackberry fruit and a balsamic undertone.”

RRP $88  *Our Special Price $67.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine*