Two Riojas from Spain's Baron de LeyRioja comes in both traditional and modern styles; traditional Rioja is aged extensively in oak for complexity and mellowness while the modern approach emphasises aromatics and freshness.
As ever in life, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, plenty of fruit without losing complexity or food-friendliness.
These two wines from Baron de Ley are both very much in the modern style; pure, fresh and clean with generous fruit.
They are well-made and easy-drinking but also complex, sophisticated and adept.
Spain's Barón de Ley is based in Rioja; housed in a centuries-old monastery, where the monks made wine more than 500 years ago, Barón de Ley was founded in 1985 as a ground-breaking project in DOCa Rioja: a vineyard-focused winery inspired by the Médoc châteaux.
The winery owns more than 600 hectares of vineyard in different sub-regions guaranteeing top-quality wines with personality.
Rioja Blanco 2019
A blend of Viura, Garnacha blanca and the somewhat rare Tempranillo blanco, grown at altitude for freshness.
Modern, fresh crisp and aromatic; white peach, white flowers, lemongrass, citrus and fresh green peppery herbs, white pepper, saline minerality and zesty lime and grapefruit zippiness; creamy brazil nut underpinnings; taut, precise and linear.
Good.
Match with herby chicken, saltimbocca, or cod in a parsley broth.
Rioja Reserva 2016
Varietal Tempranillo fermented in stainless steel for freshness, then aged in oak for complexity and bottle aged for mellowness.
Red fruits, spice and leathery balsamic; ripe yet fresh berry fruits, pepperiness and sweet spices, wild herbs; full and supple, harmonious with rounded, well-integrated tannins, concentrated and long.
Improves with aeration and will age further.
Good.
Match with roast red meat, darker game or roast chicken.
Baron de Ley recommend matching with Riojan potatoes, a pottage of potatoes and chorizo with nuances of bay leaf and chorizo pepper. It also pairs with white meat, mushrooms and mushrooms and vegetable stews.
Fuller details from Baron de Ley's website
Rioja Blanco 2019
VARIETIES
Viura, Garnacha blanca, Tempranillo blanco
VINEYARD
The vineyards characterise the quality of the grapes for this vintage. Tempranillo Blanco grapes come from our vineyard Finca Carbonera, the highest growing point in the DOCa Rioja, with vineyards ranging from 700-950m (2300- 3100ft.) in elevation.
The natural farming characteristics of high altitude vineyards, including sandy permeable soil together with the Atlantic climatic influence, provide ideal conditions for making fresh white wines with elegant, crisp acidity.
Garnacha Blanca is grown in our estate in Rioja Oriental, Los Almendros, with Mediterranean climate and shallow sandy-limestone soils with calcareous gravel, this variety retains its fresh and fruity character.
Viura is from our Arenzana estate in Rioja Alta, which location provides the perfect conditions to farm Rioja’s most characteristic white variety.
The result is an utterly fresh and balanced wine perfectly rounded thanks to Garnacha’s fruity character.
VINIFICATION
Low temperature maceration and fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats preserve the aromatic expression and provide the tension, or long finish, which characterise the white wines of our Technical Director, Pablo Tascón.
ALCOHOL
12,5% vol
Rioja Reserva 2016
VARIETIES
Tempranillo
VINEYARD
Barón de Ley Reserva is made using Tempranillo grapes from our vineyards in the Rioja Oritental subregion, mainly the estates in Mendavia and Los Almendros in Ausejo.
The grapes from this area provide a concentrated, balanced and drinkable character to this wine.
VINIFICATION AND AGEING
Following manual harvest and manual selection, the grapes ferment in our temperature-controlled state-of-the-art stainless steal vats where we search for the ideal balance between extraction and aromatic preservation.
After a minimum of 20 months ageing in American-oak casks, this wine finds its plenitude rounding off in the bottle.
ALCOHOL
14.5% vol
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