Hello! Welcome & Welcome Back!

It means so much to me that you took the time to subscribe to this wine club and, more importantly, chose to spend your hard earned money with us. This month's club release is designed to get you through the dog days of winter. There's not much I'd rather drink during the crux of winter than the soulful wines of Rioja, burnished and patinated with the extra barrel and bottle aging that is the hallmark of the region. Rioja's traditional classification system for aging (with quality implied) has been so meaningful that it has influenced other Spanish and Latin American wine regions. In Rioja, red wines labelled Crianza and Reserva must spend at least a year in oak, while a Gran Reserva must spend at least two years (plus another two years in bottle). For white and rosé wines labelled Crianza, Reserva, or Gran Reserva, the minimum wood-ageing period is just six months, with a further year, two years, or four years respectively before the wines may be released for sale. This creates the richness and sophistication that we need from our wines in the heart of the winter chill.

The Gist on the Wines

Rioja Blanco is one of my go-to stand-ins when I want a ringer for fancy white Burgundy, but don't want to pay fancy white Burgundy prices (something that may become a theme as the tariffs ripple through the supply chain this year). The Mediterranean varieties of Viura (Macabeo) and Grenache Blanc thrive in Rioja's climate, retaining crystalline acidity, and the region's penchant for deftly framing their wines with toasty, nutty oak provides supporting richness. Valenciso's Rioja Blanco is 70% Viura and 30% Garnacha Blanca, harvested from very old estate vineyards in the north of Rioja Alta. Each variety is hand harvested and fermented separately in oak barrels, blended, and then aged 8 months in barrel. The resulting wine is appealingly fresh and understated, showing layers of pear, citrus peel, jasmine and honeysuckle  and a hint of beeswax. Pair with roasted chicken or pork dishes (preferably with their jus and potatoes) or pan seared, crispy skinned fish. 

Conde de Hervías currently stands as one of the most classically unique and elegant interpretations of Rioja, miles away from the mass-produced Rioja wines found in Haro. It is an incredibly unique and specialized micro-winery in northern Rioja Alta, where the sole focus is producing single-vineyard wines of the highest quality from historic pre-phylloxera vines in the village of Torremontalbo. The 2019 Trinidad de Hervías is spontaneously fermented in 5000L in stainless steel and is then aged for 12 months in 1-2 years old 228L French and American oak barrels. The wine reveals pure, high toned red and blue fruit aromas complimented by flowers, cola, and smoke on the nose. Smooth and expansive on the palate, offering lively raspberry, boysenberry, and spicecake flavors on the palate. The finish is very long and silky with just a hint of dusty tannins and spiciness.

The Details on the Wines

Valenciso, Viura / Garnacha Blanca, Rioja Blanco, "Fermentado en Barrica," Rioja Alta, Spain (2022)

Valenciso was born in 1998 when Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso (Valen-Ciso, Val-en-THEECE-oh), Rioja natives with extensive experience in the region, joined their surnames to make a single wine in the winery of their dreams in La Rioja Alta. Minority partners include former managers of Radoux, makers of the finest French oak barriques, and growers in the best areas of the Rioja Alta.

Valenciso’s objective is to produce a limited number of wines of the highest quality and authenticity. Aromatic lift rather than physical weight – in the manner of French Burgundy and the greatest Riojas of the past – is the Valenciso ideal. Aging takes place in the finest cork-grade (flor) French oak barriques, one-third replaced each year. Time in oak depends upon vintage characteristics and is determined after exhaustive tasting. The Valenciso wines are balanced offering early accessibility, structure, fresh acidity and fruit intensity promising many years of bottle evolution. Cement tanks are used for winemaking because they respect the vividness and contribute to the wine’s longevity. Aging in French oak barrels gives elegance and richness.

Valenciso's Rioja Blanco is 70% Viura and 30% Garnacha Blanca, harvested from very old estate vineyards in Ollauri, Haro Villalba in the north of Rioja Alta at an altitude between 1663-2000 feet. The soils are clay-limestone and the sites are farmed using organic practices. Each variety is hand harvested and fermented separately in oak barrels, blended, and then aged 8 months in barrel. The resulting wine is appealingly fresh and understated, showing layers of pear, citrus peel, jasmine and honeysuckle  and a hint of beeswax. Pair with roasted chicken or pork dishes (preferably with their jus and potatoes) or pan seared, crispy skinned fish. 

Conde de Hervías, Tempranillo, Rioja, "Trinidad 

del Conde de Hervías," Rioja Alta, Spain (2019)

Conde de Hervías is an incredibly unique and specialized micro-winery in northern Rioja Alta, where the sole focus is producing single-vineyard wines of the highest quality from historic vineyards in the village of Torremontalbo. Íñigo Manso de Zúñiga Ugartechea, together with his winemaking partner and wife, Yolanda García Viadero, work highly prestigious plots of pre-phylloxera vines near their home in Torremontalbo, an incredible structure built in 1252 by the Visigoths. The property lies on the right bank of the Ebro River, in the Rioja Alta subzone of Rioja, where Atlantic climatic influences dominate and produce wines with outstanding aging potential.

The village wine and entry to the Conde de Hervías range is Trinidad del Conde de Hervías, an outstanding value. Trinidad is the expression of three different single- vineyards in the village of Torremontalbo, on three distinct soil types, all planted tothe original, ancestral clone of tempranillo: Romero, on pure calcareous clay soil in 1978, while Llano Alto on ferrous calcareous clay with river rocks, was planted in 1958. Lastly, Trinidad contains a portion of the 1874 pre-phylloxera Las Arenillas vineyard, planted on sandy calcareous clay soil.

Traditional goblet (bush training) method is used in the vineyard, which helps preserve acidity and freshness in the wines and guards against heat damage. Trinidad del Conde de Hervías is produced from hand-picked, organically-farmed grapes. Native yeasts are utilized for alcoholic fermentation, bringing the character of the vineyard to the wines. Recently, he has been utilizing a method called integrated fermentation, where alcoholic and malolactic fermentations happen simultaneously, bringing great harmony to the wine. Finally, the aging process is never hurried; the estate releases small quantities of each wine only when the time is right for each one to express its personality.

Each vineyard is harvested and fermented separately. Bunches are hand-harvested with a strict selection in the vineyard, then completely destemmed and crushed. The must is spontaneously fermented in 5000L in stainless steel with native yeasts. The wine is then aged for 12 months in 1-2 years old 228L French and American oak barrels. Blending and resting occur in large, neutral foudres. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2019 Trinidad de Hervías reveals pure, high toned red and blue fruit aromas complimented by flowers, cola, and smoke on the nose. Smooth and expansive on the palate, offering lively raspberry, boysenberry, and spicecake flavors on the palate. The finish is very long and silky with just a hint of dusty tannins and spiciness.