Olarra Clásico Reserva 2009 (Spain) - Wine Review

After enjoying the recent string of lovely wines from Bodegas Olarra Group, for tonight's wine review I dive into my cellar and open a 2009 Rioja that I purchased nearly 5 years ago from the September 5, 2015 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

This delicious red wine only appeared to show up at the LCBO once, but the latest vintage should be available via Charles Jewett at Trilogy Wine Merchants.

Tasting Note:

OLARRA CLÁSICO RESERVA 2009 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#423541) (XD) - $18.95
A blend of mostly Tempranillo with Grenache and Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan) in support, this has a generous bouquet of complex spices, fig, dried dark berry, floral pastille, sweet tobacco, and wood spice aromas rising out of the glass. It's medium-full bodied, mouthwatering and juicy on the palate with savoury, earthy, fig, dried berry, and tobacco flavours. A touch of alcoholic heat on the mid-palate, but otherwise quite balanced. Tannins are well-integrated with a nice chalky textured mouthfeel. Excellent finish length that is earthy and savoury with wood spice and tobacco notes. Should continue to drink well over the next 2-3 years. Score: 90 pts

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Valdebarón Reserva 2015 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine arrived in LCBO VINTAGES back in October in conjunction with the Rioja Revelation wine tasting event that took place in downtown Toronto. After enjoying a pair of wines from Bodegas Olarra recently, I am expecting this bottle to also be delicious.

It is produced by Bodegas Ondarre. which is part of Bodegas Olarra Group. Founded in 1985 in the town of Viana, located in the province of Navarre in northern Spain, Bodegas Ondarre was created with the aim of making wines that clearly reflect the personality of the town. The identity of Viana is defined by the diversity of soils and the distribution of the small, old vineyards located on the slopes which climb up towards the mountains. With low-yielding vines and careful selection of the grapes, Bodegas Ondarre produces wines that are a reflection of the terroir, which expresses itself through the climate, soil and the handiwork of man.

Bodegas Ondarre produces classic Rioja wines, as well as specific vineyard wines under the "Valdebarón" label from their estate in Viana. The Valdebarón Reserva Tinto is made with grapes from northwest Viana, where the complex and shallow soils are a mix of limestone, clay, loam, and chalk. There are twelve south-facing vineyards which are planted between 450 to 695 metres elevation on cliffs and slopes at the northern end of the Rioja valley. The average age of the vines is over 35 years. All of this helps produce their best quality Tempranillo and Mazuelo. The label of this red wine is rather interesting as it represents an aerial view of the two streams in the Valdebarón area of Viana, along with the location of the twelve vineyards that make up this wine.

While this bottle appears to be sold out at the LCBO, you can reach out to Charles Jewett at Trilogy Wine Merchants for availability.

Tasting Note:

VALDEBARÓN RESERVA 2015 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#011784) (XD) - $22.95
A blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo from specific vineyards that was raised in Allier (French) and Missouri (American) casks for 18 months. Medium-high intensity aromatics are elegant and complex with notes of dark red berry, spice, licorice, and black plum accented by herbs, savoury, earthy, and mineral notes. It's medium-full bodied on the palate with ripe red berry, spice, and earthy flavours supported by fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins that have just a touch of grippy texture. Earthy and mineral notes linger on the long finish. Enjoy over the next 5-6 years. Score: 89 pts

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Olarra Erudito Reserva Especial 2015 (Spain) - Wine Review

After enjoying the 2010 Olarra Cerro Añon Gran Reserva over the weekend, tonight's wine review is another delicious offering from Bodegas Olarra Group. It arrived in LCBO VINTAGES on September 14th as a Flagship Store Exclusive, and small quantities are still available for purchase throughout Ontario.

The Erudito Reserva Especial, along with the Summa Reserva, are the top-tier, vineyard specific wines from Bodegas Olarra and are only made during exceptional vintages. The grapes for the Erudito come from a specially selected 12 hectare vineyard and are hand-harvested only when the grapes reach full maturity. It was vinified in small vats and fermented and aged on the lees. Further ageing occurred in new barrels for at least 18 months. Prior to bottling, in order to preserve the wine's unique character, it was left to settle without the use of any fining agents. Lastly, it spent a minimum of 18 months in the bottle cellar prior to release.

Tasting Note:

OLARRA ERUDITO RESERVA ESPECIAL 2015 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#378885) (XD) - $39.95
A single-vineyard blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo that delivers an elegant, fragrant and intense nose of blackberry, black cherry, red berry, spice, licorice and smoky mineral aromas. It is medium-full bodied with fresh, juicy acidity that coats the palate. Lovely aroma replays on the flavour profile are joined by tobacco notes that add further complexity. Dusty, fine-grained tannins gain grip on the mid-palate. Excellent length with mineral notes on the long, balanced, and succulent finish. Enjoy over the next 6-7 years. Score: 92 pts

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Olarra Cerro Añon Gran Reserva 2010 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a delicious red wine that arrived in LCBO VINTAGES as part of the Rioja Revelation wine tasting event that took place in downtown Toronto back in October.

It is produced by Bodegas Olarra Group, a winery with 40 years of experience that is also at the forefront of vinegrowing and winemaking in Spain. Bodegas Olarra was founded in 1970 and started by producing classically-styled Rioja wines which are only possible when proper and timely care is taken in the vineyards all throughout the year.

There have been many architectural feats in Rioja over the last 40 years. One of which is the building of Bodegas Olarra. It was designed by Juan Antonio Ridruejo in 1973 and inspired by and for wine. The most prominent feature of this building is the roof that crowns the underground barrel cellar (which holds 27,000 oak barrels) and is made up of 111 hexagonal domes that help prevent sharp changes in temperature.

The Cerro Añón range of wines are Bodegas Olarra's top range and are crafted based on Rioja’s long-standing tradition of combining grapes from different terroirs to create classically-styled wines of perfect assemblage. The grapes for this Gran Reserva primarily come from their vineyards in Rioja Alta, with a smaller portion coming from Rioja Alavesa. The average age of the vines is 30 years, and they sit on clay-rich soil in Rioja Alta, and on limestone-clay soils in Rioja Alavesa.

While this red wine quickly sold out soon after the Rioja Revelation tasting, a small number of cases may still be available through the agent, Trilogy Wine Merchants.

Tasting Note:

OLARRA CERRO AÑON GRAN RESERVA 2010 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#190827) (XD) - $23
A blend of approximately 80% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Garnacha, and 5% Graciano that was aged in Allier and Missouri oak barrels for 27 months in a mix of new and used oak, and spent another 45 months in bottle prior to release. Fairly intense aromatics lift out of the glass with savoury, wood spice and dried berry/cherry notes mingling with leather and raisin characters. The aromas come through on the firm, full-bodied palate with juicy, saliva-inducing acids. Well-knit tannins have a slightly chalky texture. Earthy, wood spice, and coffee notes linger on the long, dry finish. Approachable now, but will benefit from ageing and drink well over the next 6-7 years. Score: 90+ pts

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