Region · La Rioja / Álava / Navarra, Spain
Rioja
ree-OH-hah
Oak, time, and Tempranillo
Spain's most famous appellation, defined as much by aging in barrel and bottle as by its limestone, clay, and Atlantic-Mediterranean tug of war.
- strawberry
- vanilla
- leather
- dill
- dried cherry
Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva are legal aging categories, not quality scores — but they do tell you how long the wine has lived with oak and bottle. Traditional houses (López de Heredia, La Rioja Alta) still make wines that taste of time. A modern school prefers darker fruit and French oak.
Tempranillo leads, with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo in support. Rioja Alta and Alavesa tend to be finer; Oriental (Baja) warmer and rounder. White Rioja, especially aged, is a secret worth stealing: oxidized-adjacent, nutty, and grand with roast fish.
Lamb is destiny here. Also peppers, chorizo, and a long lunch.
Vintage
Calls are for Reserva. Crianza: drink almost everything here. Gran Reserva from a strong year can still be holding.
| Year | Call | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hold | In tank. Ignore the year until it’s bottled. |
| 2024 | Careful | Mixed season. Wait for Crianzas from houses you trust. |
| 2023 | Hold | Too young even for Crianza on most shelves. |
| 2022 | Hold | Hot. Will be ripe; not yet. |
| 2021 | Hold | Good bones. Reserva still sleeping. |
| 2020 | Drink | Crianza is the pour. Reserva can wait a little. |
| 2019 | Hold | One of the stronger recent years. Reserva: keep. |
| 2018 | Drink | Atlantic, fresh, open. |
| 2017 | Careful | Frost cut the crop. Survivors: drink, don’t hoard. |
| 2016 | Drink | Complete and now giving. |
| 2015 | Drink | Ripe. Reserva is in the window. |
| 2014 | Drink | Lighter. Don’t cellar further. |
| 2013 | Careful | Cool and wet. Drink up. |
| 2012 | Drink | Ready, savory, traditional houses especially. |
| 2011 | Drink | Warm. Gran Reserva still handsome; Reserva drink. |
At the table
Service
Reds 59–63 °F (15–17 °C); aged whites 50–54 °F (10–12 °C).
