Great Rioja Trio
Rioja's wine system is all about aging, with one of the key criteria in categories like crianza, reserva and gran reserva being the amount of time the wine spends in oak barrels before being bottled.
Bodegas Hermanos Pecina offers a terrific example of gradations of quality in classic Rioja style. In each case, the wines are 95% tempranillo, 3% graciano and 2% garnacha (grenache). At this summer's Spanish wine tasting at Hart House, the winery’s three categories were available for tasting.
Rioja is Spain’s most famous wine region, producing everything from under $10 cheapies to fine aged specimens that can command hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. Tempranillo is the principal red grape in any of the blends and is often the only grape used. Rioja also has a great affinity for oak aging and its hierarchical system of classifying the wines is based around the amount of time the wine spends aging in barrels: the more time, the higher the quality.
Of course decisions are also made about which particular batches get which treatment in oak, with vintners choosing their finest to go the long haul. Leaving the table wines aside, there are three categories of finer wines: Crianza, the entry level wines that are aged a minimum of 6 months in oak, Reserva, the better quality wines that are aged at least 12 months, and then the Gran Reserva, which are generally only made in better vintages and which are aged at least two years in barrel, followed by a further three years in bottle. It is rare to see a gran reserva on the market less than six years after vintage.
Both oak barrels (especially the coveted French ones) and the infrastructure required to age wines are expensive. There are a lot of sunk costs involved, not least the very long lag time between production and sale. But Rioja has the infrastructure, with most wineries featuring enormous storage cellars.
The Wines of Bodegas Hermanos Pecina
Tinto Crianza 2000. $24.75
Bold nose of cherries with secondary notes of mushroom under. Quite full on the palate, with some woody notes. Acidity and tannins are both high and there are cherries on the palate. Nice light finish. 88 points.
Bold nose of cherries with secondary notes of mushroom under. Quite full on the palate, with some woody notes. Acidity and tannins are both high and there are cherries on the palate. Nice light finish. 88 points.
Tinto Reserva 1999. $33.65Richer nose with more aged characteristics evident and oaky secondary notes over the cherry fruit. Smooth and full on the palate, with better integration than the crianza. There’s cherry, wood and a bit of lemon zest on the palate and a nice fresh cherry finish. 90 points.
Tinto Gran Reserva 1998. $49.95
Rich and complex nose of cherry fruit and secondary notes like leather and a bit of smokiness. Full and rich on the palate, which is super smooth. Lots of cherry fruit, acidity and tannins in great balance. Cherries, tobacco and leather notes swirl around, all nicely integrated and leading to a lovely lingering finish that stays with you even after it’s finished: makes you really want more. 92 points.
Rich and complex nose of cherry fruit and secondary notes like leather and a bit of smokiness. Full and rich on the palate, which is super smooth. Lots of cherry fruit, acidity and tannins in great balance. Cherries, tobacco and leather notes swirl around, all nicely integrated and leading to a lovely lingering finish that stays with you even after it’s finished: makes you really want more. 92 points.
The wines of Bodegas Hermanos Pecina are available through Le Sommelier agency in Toronto. Click here for more info.
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