Ramon Bilbao, Crianza, 2021, Rioja, Spain
Another Crianza fron Rioja, Spain and a decent one too with a Silver medal from the IWC. Dry, firm but well integrated tannins and plenty of length of dark fruits. It’s like VW Polo, decent all round and nothing bad. At £12 a bottle its good value, well done.
Ugalde, Rioja, Crianza, 2019, Spain
This Rioja from Ugalde is a great example of a young Rioja, age around 6 months in oak it’s dry, high in tannins and acidity, got massive amounts of black and red fruit flavours. There’s leather, chocolate, coffee notes in there with a slight earthy undertone all integrated very well.
At zbout £11 a bottle it’s excellent value and paired with a winter roast or BBQ in the summer it’s an all year round wine.
Bodegas Muro, Maturana, Rioja, Spain
This Rioja from Bodegas Muro is made from the Maturana Tinto grape and it is a lot better than the vast amount of Rioja wine out there.
It does the basics really well, medium but grippy tannins coupled with good lengths on the flavours of plum, cherry with a little spice and hints of chocolate. It went down very well with Lamb and steak at a BBQ.
CM by Carlos Muro, 2015, Rioja, Spain
Rioja produces an awful lot of wine and much of it drinkable and there are some truly excellent reds are produced but is this from Carlos Muro a drinkable or excellent one. The aroma is a little flat, you get some red cherry but that’s pretty much it. It’s a dry fairy bold wine with plum and strawberry flavours and soft tannins which I warmed too. This got a bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2018. It’s definitely better than most easy drinking and you don’t have to think about it which in many ways makes it a great drinking wine.
At about £20 a bottle it’s too much money though. I think they should really be a £10 bottle at the most.
Baigorri, Belus, 2013, Rioja, Spain
Rioja is a regular wine in our house and this one from Baigorri shows why.
Dry, high in tannins and pretty bold all round this red wine has lots of aromas and flavours of oak, vanilla, spice, black fruits, plum and a smokey undertone. Its a good red wine although at £15 a bottle its a bit pricey, not only for a Rioja but for a red wine. It will go well with red meat and tomato based pasta and as the summer is coming up and BBQ’s are the order of the weekend, its one to try.
Campo Viejo from spain produces a lot of wine and this winemaker’s art got a solid bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2018. Its a very easy drinking red Rioja.
It’s got a nice deep red colour, just starting to age a little, but its 5 years old after all. the aromas are red fruit, cherry and hints of blackcurrant and a little earthiness. The taste is firm, good concentration of fruit, with notes of spice, vanilla and hints of tobacco and a cloves. There are medium tannins that are soft but balanced and decent length of flavour.
I enjoyed this and under £10 a bottle is good value.
Campo Viejo, Winemaker’s Art, 2015, Rioja, Spain
Made with the Graciano grape rather than the usual Temperillo grape , this Rioja is pretty good, excellent I would say.
There a black fruit, chocolate and coffee aroma mix that is added to in the taste department with red fruit and oak notes. Its a full bodied, smooth with firm, but well intergrate tannins and is excellently pair with red meat or in front of the fire just being sipped.
At over £25 a bottle is not cheap but I think it is justified.
Altos R Pigeage, Graciano, 2014, Rioja, Spain
Made with 75% Tempranillo and 25% Graciano this is a limited edition of only 84,320 bottles! its got a herbaceous and red fruit aroma. There’s a plum and cherry hit on the taste buds, more cherry but subtle background flavours of other fruit, mainly plum but also a little redcurrant which have a good length. There’s definitely tannins, a little rough though which obscure the spice notes.
Have this with food and its better, you need food with a bite, a bit spicy to help soften the tannins and match the little bit of spice in the wine, in my case veggy fajitas.
At £13 a bottle its a bit pricey. A bronze medal winner at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2019, its good but it should be under £10.
Rioja Vega 2016, Spain
Theres cheap and expensive Rioja and it’s worth just trying the expensive side once in a while. It shows that you should just cut back, drink less but pay more for quality wines.
Redcurrant, cherry and pepper notes on the nose are added to by well integrated acidity and tannins. I had this with food which was probably for the best, but its pretty smooth. Even though it’s 6 years old it’s still a solid ruby in colour and has great flavours.
At over £40 a bottle it’s expensive, great though. If you are pushing the boat out on a Rioja for the first time look at £20 a bottle. You should still see the difference between cheap and pricey.
Marqués de Murrieta Dalmau Rioja 2013 from Spain
Rioja is a wine most wine drinkers have had on many occasions. Its hard to get wrong, even the cheaper end of the market produces easy drinkable reds.
This is good, very good. Aromas of vanilla and black fruits as expected with vanilla from the aging in French oak. Its dry, bold, full of presence and with firm tannins and solid structure and richer flavours than many Rioja’s. We had this on its and with cheese. I probably prefer it on its own, mainly because the flavours are so well balanced.
At around £10 a bottle its one to buy.
Amador Medrano Terra Finca El Encinal, Rioja, Spain