Vintage: 2017

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2017BL413B176 x 75Natural CorkAvailable
Vegetarian
Vegan
Producer

Founded in 1972, Bodegas LAN is situated in the heart of Rioja Alta. Though a relatively young Rioja house, the bodega has gained a well-deserved reputation for the excellent quality of its wines. This quality is derived from the grapes they work with, grown in their spectacular Viña Lanciano vineyard and other prime vineyard sites in Rioja Alta and Alavesa. They also owe their success to winemaker María Barúa’s incredible attention to detail in the winery.

Viña Lanciano is one of the largest and most striking single-vineyard sites in Rioja Alta, encircled by a curve of the Ebro River. The vineyard’s poor, ‘canto rodado’ stony soils and old vines, aged up to 60 years old, create low yields of very concentrated fruit. The site is divided into 24 plots of different soils and aspects, each matched to the grape varieties, Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo. The top site, within the Viña Lanciano vineyard, is ‘Pago el Rincón’ which boasts the highest elevation and oldest vines. The ‘A Mano’ and ‘Culmen’ Riojas are sourced from the ‘Pago el Rincón’. The vineyard is hand-harvested and sustainably farmed without the use of herbicides.

María Barúa has been the head winemaker, and technical director, since 2002. She brings scientific expertise to the Bodega through her oenology degree and academic background in chemistry, alongside excellent local knowledge, having been born and raised in Rioja. María is an oak ageing expert and a lot of work goes into matching each wine with the perfect barrel, just as individual grape varieties are matched to specific plots within the bodega's vineyards. Bodegas LAN work with a wide range of French, American, Pyrenean and Hungarian oak barrels from numerous coopers and were the first Rioja bodega to pioneer a hybrid barrel with American oak staves and French oak heads.

These hybrid barrels are used to age the Rioja Crianza and Rioja Reserva, both of which blend Tempranillo with a touch of Mazuelo, and the Crianza has a dash of Garnacha. The Gran Reserva is sourced from 40-year-old Tempranillo vines in Rioja Alta, with Mazuelo grown in the famed Viña Lanciano vineyard adding extra depth. This intensely concentrated fruit is capable of withstanding up to two years of ageing in French and American oak, followed by three years in bottle before release.

The ‘D-12’ Crianza is a nod to the cheeky Rioja tradition of winemakers choosing the best wines to keep for themselves. In Bodegas LAN’s case, this was always the wine in the ‘D-12’ tank. Each harvest, the most promising Tempranillo parcel is singled out and destined for ‘D-12’. Aged in American and French new oak barrels, the ‘D-12’ boasts intense aromas of cranberry, redcurrant and prune coupled with vanilla and cinnamon.

Made from 100% organic Tempranillo, the grapes for Bodegas LAN’s ‘Xtrème’ organic Crianza are sourced from a five-hectare plot within Viña Lanciano. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 14 months in new French oak barrels, this is a fine example of a Rioja Crianza, bursting with bright red fruit flavours of strawberry and cherry married with a marked spiciness.

The ‘Viña Lanciano’ Reserva blends Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo, creating an elegant expression of this staggeringly beautiful vineyard. Aromas of brooding black fruit combine with a subtle smokiness and a lick of vanilla from ageing in French and Hungarian oak. ‘A Mano’ translates as ‘by hand’ and is a nod to the fact that the grapes for this wine go through a vigorous, labour-intensive sorting process to ensure that only pristine grapes make it into the final wine. Aged for eleven months in new French oak, followed by six months in new Hungarian oak, the ‘A Mano’ has the hallmark minerality of the Viña Lanciano wines, coupled with juicy black fruit flavours and a perfectly integrated spiciness. The ‘Culmen’ Reserva, meaning ‘epitome’, is the jewel in the Bodegas LAN crown and is only produced in outstanding vintages from the oldest Tempranillo and Graciano vines in ‘El Rincón’. This hugely concentrated wine is aged for 25 months in new French oak barrels, followed by a further 22 months in bottle.

Vineyards

The Tempranillo and Mazuelo grapes are sourced from selected vineyards within the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa subzones from vines with an average age of 30-40 years. These vines produce lower yields of grapes with great concentration of flavour, which can stand up to extended periods of ageing in oak. The Sierra Cantabria mountains shelter the vineyards from the worst of the Atlantic weather systems and the vines thrive on a combination of calcareous and clay soils.

Vintage

2017 was a challenging vintage in Rioja. A mild spring resulted in an early bud burst and severe frosts in April reduced yields in certain areas considerably. There was a drought during the summer, but the old vines were better adapted to cope in these conditions and fared better than younger vines. Some rainfall towards the end of August gave the vines the boost they needed for the final stages of ripening. The harvest began in mid-September and María was delighted with the quality of the grapes.

Vinification

Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 28-30°C and lasted for around three weeks, during this time regular pump overs ensured optimum extraction of colour and flavour. Following fermentation, the wine was transferred to hybrid French and American oak barrels (American oak staves with French oak heads, around 25% of which were new) where it underwent malolactic fermentation and 20 months ageing. After bottling, the wine was aged for a further 18 months in the Bodegas LAN cellars before release.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

This wine is intense garnet in colour. Aromas of juicy strawberries, cherries and blackberries are married with notes of vanilla and spices from oak ageing and subtle earthy hints from bottle age. The palate is exceptionally well-structured, with velvety tannins and a vibrant acidity which carries the complex flavours onto the lingering finish.

Alcohol (ABV)

13.5%

Acidity

5.25 g/l

Residual Sugar

1.8 g/l

pH

3.59

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Bodegas LAN`Culmen` Rioja ReservaBL408
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`A Mano Edición Limitada` RiojaBL409
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