Bodegas LAN, `Xtrème` Organic Rioja Crianza

Founded in 1972, Bodegas LAN is situated in the heart of Rioja Alta. Though a relatively young producer, 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.

New to the range is the Bodegas Lan Verdejo, the result of a partnership between two very talented winemakers, Olga Tormo from Rueda and Bodegas LAN’s own María Barúa. The grapes are a blend of estate-owned and locally purchased fruit from D.O. Rueda, sourced from vines aged between 17-30 years old and planted at 700 metres above sea level. Soils here have a high concentration of pebbles, low organic matter and excellent drainage. The grapes are harvested at night for optimal freshness and varietal character, with bâtonnage and lees ageing ensuring good structure and flavour intensity.