La Antigua Clásico Rioja Crianza

“sweet black raspberry and rose pastille”

Jackson’s Notes: 

Alberto Orte is a phenomenon. He’s brought grapes back from the brink of extinction, made wine in almost every major Spanish wine region, founded an import company, and worked dozens of vintages. He’s a virtuoso in both the vineyard and winery, as evidenced by the breadth of cuvées he makes across the country. Unlike other “flying winemakers” who apply formulaic techniques to diverse places and grapes, he has let the voice of each of the Orte vineyard sites speak for itself. The true talent is in knowing how to step aside.

This is one of two wines produced by Alberto Orte in the May Crunchy Red Fruit Circle box. The other is the Vara y Pulgar, from red grapes grown in the Sherry region. When making Rioja, there’s generally been two schools of thought for the last twenty years. On one hand is the old-school, traditional Rioja house with cobwebbed barrels that ages wines for decades and produces an earthy, perfumed style. On the other hand is the modern cats: producers who go for extraction, power and silkiness in the Napa/Bordeaux mould. Few are the producers who can thread the needle beautifully, but we’re seeing an embrace of both philosophies as newer blood comes into the region.

 It’s a Crianza, which means it must spend a minimum of 3 years aging, with 2 in oak. Some producers extend this oak aging period, which can contribute a more dried and sour quality to the finished wine. Orte splits the difference, capping the oak aging at 24 months, but letting the wine firm up and blossom in bottle for nearly 8 more years before release. La Antigua Clásico is an example of a wine that is unmistakably Rioja, but also has a high level of winemaking know-how and technology applied to it. You’re drinking a ten-year old Rioja, which is old even for a current-release wine of the region. But rather than a sour, backwards bottle with dried out fruit, this is a wine bringing plenty of freshness, chewiness and texture.

Part of the secret of La Antigua Clásico is the vineyard sourcing. While many Rioja vineyards sit on warm, southwestern-facing slopes, or gentle valley floors, these vineyards are at elevation in the Sierra de la Demanda mountain range on north-facing slopes. That means ripening takes a great deal longer, and harvest is done late in the season, with greater risk of frost, hail and rain. The cooler sites mean that acidity and freshness prevail in the finished wines, even despite the late harvest.

From Olé & Obrigado (tasting notes by Josh Raynolds): “Brilliant ruby. Lively aromas of fresh, spice-tinged red and dark berries and candied flowers are complemented by suggestions of vanilla and woodsmoke. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering appealingly sweet black raspberry and rose pastille flavors that deepen slowly as the wine opens up. Gentle, slow-building tannins shape a smooth, persistent finish that strongly echoes the floral note.” -- Josh Raynolds