Rioja Ages This Wine So You Don't Have To
Rioja is a place with deep traditions and old vines. Even as Dan and I went looking for the new wave of producers, we couldn’t escape the gravity of history. One of those young producers is Paco Garcia, located at the edge of the town of Murillo de Río Leza. In 2008, Juan Bautista and his wife Ana began running the winery that Juan Bautista’s parents had started only a few years earlier. Their energy and imagination are a driving force in their winemaking, without losing sight of tradition.
Pulling up to Paco Garcia, we were barely out of the car before Ana insisted we take a walk up the road to see a small vineyard. The long history of winemaking in the area was clearly important to her, as she explained what we were looking at: Four rows of gnarled garnacha vines, between a few rows of olive trees, planted nearly 150 years ago, before the phylloxera crisis reached the area…and still producing wine today. History and tradition are not abstract ideas for Ana and Juan Bautista, but something visible right out their window every day.
Rioja has its own winemaking traditions, also still very much thriving today. Take Crianza--a word that literally translates as “breeding,” but a better meaning might be “matured”. Crianza wines are aged for a minimum of two years before release, one year in barrel, and another in bottle. These two years soften the naturally high tannin Tempranillo, and create a seductive, satin-y texture and deep, complex aromatics that Rioja is known for. That means Rioja Crianza is ready to drink when you buy it--no patiently waiting for the right decade to pop these corks.
Every tradition was once an innovation. New varieties like Tempranillo Blanco have made Rioja one of Europe's most dynamic wine regions, but Ana's vineyard tour reminded us of what made this place so special to begin with: some innovations are worth holding on to until they become traditions.
I introduced you to Paco Garcia a few weeks ago with their brilliant Tempranillo Blanco, El Yergo, but that was only the start of their marvelous lineup. Their white wine was a surprise find, but their Crianza was exactly the kind of exemplary Tempranillo we came looking for: elegant, enticing, and downright delicious.
BODEGAS PACO GARCIA
• Rioja DOCa Crianza 2022 •
From a vineyard close to the winery, in the calcareous soils along the Leza River. Composed of 90% Tempranillo and a balance of Garnacha, this wine spends one year in the cellar in partially used French oak barrels, then is kept in their cool underground storage for a year before being released to the market.
While they embrace the big expressive nature of Tempranillo, they temper the tradition of heavily oaked wines by opting for subtler French oak in lieu of the American oak barrels commonly used in Rioja--prioritizing the fruit, and using the barrels as a complement to the spicy qualities of Tempranillo.
The bright red cherry color previews the expressive aromatics of the wine: Baking spices, black plum, and a touch of pastry crust. On the palate, this is fresh and juicy with harmonious notes of spice, vanilla, and menthol, a smooth but structured texture, and a bright, clean finish.
I'd personally pop this open any night of the week, but you can't miss with grilled pork chops, a roast leg of lamb, or even a simple slice of manchego and some jamón.
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P.S. That 150+ year old vineyard of Garnacha that we saw...Paco Garcia makes a spectacular, single-vineyard wine from it--a mere 600 bottles each year. Before leaving, I asked Ana about adding a couple of bottles to our order...two was all she had for me. Interested? Shoot me a note.