Country: | Spain |
Region: | Rioja |
Winery: | Luis Canas |
Grape Type: | Tempranillo |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Burgo Viejo Rioja Crianza is made from 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano.
Red ruby colored wine with violet tones; well-balanced, black fruit, vanilla and coconut flavors. Powerful, complex and silky smooth...classic old style Rioja at a bargain price.
Review:
"A fruity and attractive red with medium body, red fruit and a fresh finish. Not a lot of structure, but delicious and fruity at the end. And not overdone. Tempranillo. Drink now."
- James Suckling (August 2021), 91 pts
Luis Canas Rioja Crianza is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha
A classic style Rioja from one of the regions most enduring family run wineries.. The hillside terraced vineyards are sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria Mountains to the north from harsh weather extremes. Small plot production is utilized in this region of infertile chalky clay soil to produce clusters of excellent quality. Almost 900 plots are needed to complete the approximately 400 hectares of estate-owned or cellar-controlled vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years in age.
Tasting notes
Made from 95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha of 30 years of age, the wine shows a ruby red color, a clean nose with nuances of balsamic, plum and cedar. The palate is smooth and velvety, complex and structured, with fruit, spice flavors with toasted oak. A pleasant finish with red fruits and hints of eucalyptus.
The harvest
This year in Rioja Alavesa the weather has been especially cold, the summer short and dry, and there has been plenty of rain in early September. This has produced wines with great aromatic notes, particularly those coming from high altitude areas, very fragrant and with great structure.
Winemaking and aging
Upon entering the bodega and passing the selection table, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a total of 8 days, obtaining better color extraction as well as much more complex wines, suitable for prolonged aging. The wine is clarified with vegetable gelatines and follows anicrobic filtration.
It is ideal to pair with meats; red meat, poultry, small game, oily fish, semi-cured cheeses, spicy dishes and hot dishes such as beans or potatoes Rioja style.
After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled for at least another 12 months.
Rioja Oriental is blessed with a warm, dry Mediterranean-influenced climate (unlike Rioja’s west, where the climate is more continental). The soils, formed by carbonate sedimentation with diverse colluviums containing deposits of volcanic ophite, quartz, and sandstone, covered with carbonate clay, sand, and silt. At varying depths, there is a poor, cold horizon containing petrocalcic calcium (calcium carbonate) with a distinctive white color—this is prized by many for its ability to impart a mineral-driven finesse to the wine.
Rioja’s eastern-most district is often described as flatter than its western counterpart but make no mistake—there is significant elevation here. The grapes for Propiedad represent the pinnacle expressions of Palacios Remondo’s terroir and come from three estate vineyards: Las Mulgas, Valviejo and Corral Serrano Viejo.
The soils between 0.5 and 2 meters thick are from the Quaternary Period, formed by carbonate sedimentation with colluviums of very diverse origin, containing volcanic ophite, quartz, sandstone, etc. covered with carbonate clay, sand, and silt. The exposure is east/northeast on the Yerga Mountain slopes with vineyard heights reaching between 400-640 meters (1,321-2,099 feet) above sea level with a vine age of 30-94 years old. The grapes were harvested between Sept. 28th and Oct. 6th.
The grapes were destemmed, crushed, and fermented with native yeasts in wooden vats with gentle cap immersion. Maceration took place over 35 days followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aging was 10 months in fudres and bocoyes (wooden cask) followed by fining but no filtration.
Propiedad is quite elegant but has remarkable concentration. Dried herbs, strawberry, blueberry, and baking spices ripple over subtle earthy notes and fine-grained tannins. The palate is seamless and beautifully balanced, sporting a mineral verve and seductive mouthfeel. Will age beautifully for a decade or longer.
Review:
Nose: red fruit, ripe fruit, expressive, dried herbs, wild herbs. Mouth: tasty, full, good acidity. , aromatic, varietal
-Guia Penin 95 Points
A blend that is unique in Rioja, this combines mostly Garnacha with around 7% of Tinto Velasco, Graciano and Bobal, all sourced from a six-hectare parcel on the Monte Yerga. Rich, dense and concentrated, with remarkable intensity, focus and balance, nuanced oak and a fine, refreshing finish. 2020-28
-Tim Atkin 95 Points
The old-vine Garnacha 2017 Propiedad was produced with grapes coming from organically farmed vineyards in Las Mulgas, Valfrío, Valviejo and Corral de Serrano in Alfaro, vineyards that are organically farmed. The destemmed and crushed grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and the wine matured in larger oak vats (mostly 5,000-liter) for 12 months. It has the Mediterranean profile of the vintage with some jovial notes of orange peel and red cherries intermixed with aromatic herbs. The palate reveals fine-grained, slightly dusty tannins. The palate has more freshness than what you expect from the notes on the nose. This wine has a good evolution in bottle even in warmer years like this or 2015.
-Wine Advocate 94 Points
A super elegant and silky Rioja with delicate red fruit and milk chocolate aromas, rather than the blueberry and bitter chocolate of so many modern wines from here. Lingering, filigree finish that draws you back to the glass.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza 95% Tempranillo and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dark cherry color with purple highlights. Powerful nose and high aromatic diversity of ripe red and black fruits, spicy and balsamic notes, and a roasted finish. Soft and mellow in the mouth with a great fruitiness and length.
Review:
This is a big wine with alluring aromas of cedary oak and black fruit. Ripe palate of black berries, some dark chocolate and integrated, polished oak. Long spicy finish. Classy Ribera. -Decanter 95 Points
Burgo Viejo Rioja Reserva is made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha & 5% Carignan.
Burgo Viejo Rioja Reserva presents with red ruby color; black pepper and vanilla flavors and some mature black fruit taste too. Well-balanced, well-structured and elegant in mouth displaying some splendid taste of fruit and bouquet too.
Burgo Viejo Reserva Wine vinification has occurred blending different grape varieties to produce an aged wine that will surely keep maturity and fullness from the vineyard until the very moment of uncorking.
VINIFICATION: Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats at controlled temperature; aged in American and French oak barrels -50% each- for 18 months.
Enjoy it with red meat and game.
Review:
"Berry, mushroom and fresh-herb aromas. Full-bodied with round, juicy tannins and plenty of fruit. Tempranillo. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (August 2021), 92 pts
Convento Oreja Ribera del Duero Crianza is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Bright cherry color. On the nose you will find plenty of fruit aromas, well balanced as well as some reminiscences of spices that are appreciable. The oak presence gives elegant hints of black chocolate and vanilla. On the palate, the wine is very smooth and well balanced with the right amount of acidity. Fresh, long lasting and elegant.
The wine went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged 12 Months in French Oak barrels. Before bottling, the wine was slightly filtered.
Amaren Rioja Crianza is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha
The wine is truly attractive, transmitting the finesse and elegance of the Tempranillo and the fresh, delicate fruitiness of the Garnacha. A balanced combination which is far from an excessive complexity, corpulence or over extraction to achieve the goal set by the bodega: to make a “RICH” wine in capital letters. With a nose in which the fruit character with floral nuances and strawberry toffees will stay with you all through its passage through the mouth, where you can sense its power, but with an elegance, enchanting you with its great balance until the long finish with heady notes of red fruit typical of the best garnachas from the Rioja Alavesa.
Only the perfect grapes are used to produce this wine. Amaren Crianza is the pursuit of perfection in all areas: the vineyard, the selection process, winemaking method and ageing.
Made from 85% tempranillo and 15% garnacha from vines with an average age of 35 years, the grapes are selected on a dual sorting table, first a manual check of the clusters and then individual berries.
Both varieties are harvested, vinified and aged separately to extract their optimum potential and obtain aromatic complexity.
After vinification the wine is cask aged for 12 months in 50% new, American-oak barrels and 50% in French-oak barrels used for a second vintage.
Tempranillo brings to the wine typical finesse, elegance and true expression of the characteristics of the best soils of Rioja Alavesa. Garnacha is the ideal complement that brings notes of red fruits, freshness and delicacy.
The Luis Canas & Amaren Estate
Bodega Luis Cañas is a family winery which for more than two centuries has devoted itself to viticulture and winemaking. However, it was not until 1970 when Luis Cañas first hit the market selling its young bottled wine which until then it had sold only in bulk. From this date onwards, it begins to experience a rise in sales and what is today one of the leading wineries in the Rioja Alavesa begins to take shape.
1989 marks a new milestone in the winery’s transformation when Juan Luis Cañas, the only son of Mr Luis Cañas takes charge of the same. Aged 33 , he brings fresh ideas to the table and begins to develop new wines at the same time as he promotes increasingly aged wines, beginning to lay the foundations of what would later become the new winery.
The Region
-The Climate: Fundamentally Atlantic, which thanks to the protection that the Sierra Cantabria provides from the coldest northern winds as well as Continental and Mediterranean influence.
The average annual temperature oscillates between 12.6º and the 13.2º. There are large fluctuations in the temperature between the morning and the night at harvest time, which is very positive for the quality of the grapes.
Average rainfall is around 400 mm. and 600 mm
- The Soil: The soil is poor and of a clay loam or chalky clay type, ideal for obtaining grapes of an extraordinary quality.
- Altitude: Our vineyards are located between 450 and 600 meters in altitude.
- Grape Varietals:
TEMPRANILLO: The most important indigenous red variety in the D.O. RIOJA. And one of the biggest varieties in the world. It produces wines for length ageing, very balanced in their alcoholic degrees, color and acidity.
GRACIANO: An indigenous red variety with a great future in Rioja and so its surface area is increasing. It produces wines with considerable acidity and polyphonelic content, ideal for growing, whose aroma is superior in intensity to the rest of the Rioja verities. A perfect complement to the Tempranillo for ageing.
VIURA: The most extensive white variety in Rioja. It produces fruity wines, with a floral aroma and a notable degree of acidity, ideal for preparing both young white and vintage wines.
MALVASÍA: A White variety that produces wines of great oiliness and aromatic intensity.
The Luis Canas & Amaren Estate
Bodega Luis Cañas is a family winery which for more than two centuries has devoted itself to viticulture and winemaking. However, it was not until 1970 when Luis Cañas first hit the market selling its young bottled wine which until then it had sold only in bulk. From this date onwards, it begins to experience a rise in sales and what is today one of the leading wineries in the Rioja Alavesa begins to take shape.
1989 marks a new milestone in the winery’s transformation when Juan Luis Cañas, the only son of Mr Luis Cañas takes charge of the same. Aged 33 , he brings fresh ideas to the table and begins to develop new wines at the same time as he promotes increasingly aged wines, beginning to lay the foundations of what would later become the new winery.
The Region
-The Climate: Fundamentally Atlantic, which thanks to the protection that the Sierra Cantabria provides from the coldest northern winds as well as Continental and Mediterranean influence.
The average annual temperature oscillates between 12.6º and the 13.2º. There are large fluctuations in the temperature between the morning and the night at harvest time, which is very positive for the quality of the grapes.
Average rainfall is around 400 mm. and 600 mm
- The Soil: The soil is poor and of a clay loam or chalky clay type, ideal for obtaining grapes of an extraordinary quality.
- Altitude: Our vineyards are located between 450 and 600 meters in altitude.
- Grape Varietals:
TEMPRANILLO: The most important indigenous red variety in the D.O. RIOJA. And one of the biggest varieties in the world. It produces wines for length ageing, very balanced in their alcoholic degrees, color and acidity.
GRACIANO: An indigenous red variety with a great future in Rioja and so its surface area is increasing. It produces wines with considerable acidity and polyphonelic content, ideal for growing, whose aroma is superior in intensity to the rest of the Rioja verities. A perfect complement to the Tempranillo for ageing.
VIURA: The most extensive white variety in Rioja. It produces fruity wines, with a floral aroma and a notable degree of acidity, ideal for preparing both young white and vintage wines.
MALVASÍA: A White variety that produces wines of great oiliness and aromatic intensity.
The Luis Canas & Amaren Vineyards
The vineyard is the star of a landscape where the plots of land, mainly located on slopes and terraces, being protected to the north by the imposing presence of the Sierra Cantabria.
Villabuena is a town located to the south of the province of Álava, where the city of the vineyard and the preparation of wines is practically the sole activity that is carried on.
It is in this region of Rioja Alavesa where the most suitable conditions arise for obtaining large vineyards of a superior quality.
22 hectares of vines of over 60 years of age and 30 hectares of between 30 and 60 years make up a vineyard which is the strongest indication of the wine cellar.
The old vineyards achieve a perfect balance given their low production level, having very deep roots that offer the wines complexity, minerality and personality as well as making them more resistant to drought.
Vines that are checked and run by the agronomic engineers from our field department in which rational wine-growing that is respectful of the environment.
All of the forms of treatment that are carried on at the vineyard are restricted to minimally aggressive products and methods which include amongst others, the prohibition against the use of herbicides and the use of fertilizers that are always organic.
The purpose is to make use of a vineyard with a powerful defensive system that is capable of being defended from external threats with no need for artificial assistance. In this way we achieve complete respect for the land. The native soil is a fundamental part of the distinguishing personality of each region. We also manage to make the vines healthier.
22 hectares of vines of over 60 years of age and 30 hectares of between 30 and 60 years make up a vineyard which is the strongest indication of the wine cellar.
The old vineyards achieve a perfect balance given their low production level, having very deep roots that offer the wines complexity, minerality and personality as well as making them more resistant to drought.
Vines that are checked and run by the agronomic engineers from our field department in which rational wine-growing that is respectful of the environment.
All of the forms of treatment that are carried on at the vineyard are restricted to minimally aggressive products and methods which include amongst others, the prohibition against the use of herbicides and the use of fertilizers that are always organic.
The purpose is to make use of a vineyard with a powerful defensive system that is capable of being defended from external threats with no need for artificial assistance. In this way we achieve complete respect for the land. The native soil is a fundamental part of the distinguishing personality of each region. We also manage to make the vines healthier.
B Leighton Petit Verdot is made from 100 percent Petit Verdot.
Dark and brooding. Vibrant, beautiful and tantalizes the senses with violets, black cassis, pipe tobacco and forest floor. Elegant, fresh, deep and refined. It continues with black raspberry, ocean breeze, orange zest and a touch of fresh herbs. Need I say more? Drink up, buttercup.
Review:
Bright ruby-red. Inky blackberry, licorice and menthol on the slightly portiike nase. Dense, sweet and surprisingly supple on the plate but,with a touch of inkiness to its broad blackcurrant, blackberry, licorice and graphite flavors. An element of peppery vinosity contrioutes to the impression of firmness, as do the tight tannins. This very long, savory Wine is stil a bit folded in on itself and will quire patience. Inerestingly, Leighton keeps this wine on its skin for "only" 35 days, which is actually less than many of his other red wines under the B. Leighton, K Vintners and Wines of Substance labels. He also destems this, fruit.
-Stephen Tanzer 92+ Points
Monteagrelo Cabernet Franc has beautiful ruby red with purple highlights.
It displays aromas of ripe red berries with a nice wood smoke complexity, thanks to the aging in French oak barrels. The wine has a very good structure, but the tannins are still quite round and integrated.
Aged in French and American oak barrels for 15 months. No filtration and no fining.
The finish is very long and will allow the wine to be consumed with food, such as grilled meat or cheese.
Review:
"From the Uco Valley, the 2019 Cabernet Franc Monteagrelo was aged in French vats for 10 months. A light purple in hue, the precise, expressive nose presents notes of green pepper, blackcurrant and ash with hints of jalapeño. Smooth with a broad palate, the flow is corseted a little by the mild freshness, as is the bold finish. A delicate red of a kind you rarely see in a Cabernet Franc. - Joaquín Hidalgo"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 92 pts
The 2017 was a very different year to 2016 in terms of the viticultural conditions and it was interesting to watch the progression of the wine and scrutinize its quality as it developed over its first two winters. Whereas 2016 had a very mild winter and exceptionally hot summer, this was compensated by abundant winter and spring rainfall. Conversely, 2017 was warm and drythroughout, although summer temperatures were closer to average, whichproved to be a very significant factor allowing for complete, balancedripening.
It is rare to see such tremendous depth and intensity in color as this winedisplays. The freshness of the floral aromas is very attractive with adominance of rockrose, a flower that grows wild around the hills of Senhorada Ribeira. On the palate, it is exceptionally full-bodied, rich andpowerful with black fruit coming to the fore. Gorgeous, ripe fruit isbalanced by the fine tannin structure. On the finish, it is typically Dow,austere and somewhat drier than many other ports. The intense fruit flavors linger long on the palate.
Dow’s Vintage Ports are only produced in years of exceptional quality and represent only a very small part of the total company’s production in that year. On average only two or three times every ten years are the weather conditions sufficiently good to allow for the making of Dow’s Vintage Port.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Dow’s Vintage Ports have been landmark wines in virtually every great year, consistently setting the standards amongst all Port houses. Vintage Ports such as the remarkable Dow 1896, the 1927, 1945, 1955, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1980 and the Dow 1994 are all legends in the history of this great wine. These Ports are still magnificent today, even when 50 or over 100 years old. Few wines can claim this quality and this pedigree.
Dow's Vintage Ports are drawn from the companies' finest vineyards; Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira. Each property contributes to the Dow’s unique and distinctive style. When young, Dow’s Vintage Ports are purple-black, austere, complex and intensely concentrated, full-bodied and balanced with very fine peppery tannins.
Over the centuries, the Dow winemakers have evolved a style that suits the house’s key vineyards; fermentations are a little longer, resulting in a drier Port Wine that has become the hallmark of Dow’s. Abundant fruit flavours with hints of ripe blackberries, give elegance and poise to Dow’s. The nose is deep and powerful with strong overtones of violets when young, these mature into fine cinnamon and rose-tea aromas with age. The very high percentage of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional planted on the vineyards result in the powerful structure and aging potential of Dow’s Vintage Ports
Dow’s Ports avoid an over-rich style and requires a very high degree of skill in wine making and great experience in selecting the finest wines of each year and each vineyard. These wines are aged in seasoned oak casks for some 18 months and are bottled without any filtration or fining whatsoever.
Dow Vintage Ports can be enjoyed when vibrant and young or they can be allowed to age for many years in bottle into a soft and delicate wine of velvet-like elegance.
In the 1920’s, the celebrated Oxford Professor George Saintsbury underlined Dow’s outstanding reputation when he wrote in his famous ‘Notes on a Cellarbook’ (first published in 1920), “There is no shipper’s wine that I have found better than the best of Dow’s 1878 and 1890 especially.”
James Suckling, one of today’s leading authorities on Vintage Port was equally impressed by another legendary wine - the Dow’s 1896 - “The ancient {1896} Port still had an amazing ruby colour with a garnet edge, and it smelled of raisins, black pepper and berries. It was full-bodied, with masses of fruit intertwined with layers of velvety tannins. It was superb.” In 1998, when this wine was 102 years old, he awarded this Port an exceptional 98 points.
Review:
Based on fruit from the predominantly south-facing Quinta do Bomfim in the Cima Corgo and Quinta Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca making up 80% of the blend. This is opaque and closed in but powerfully ripe with underlying pure berry fruit. It's seemingly quite introverted compared to some of its peers at this stage, but it's still full, rich and opulent on the palate. It also shows the latent power of the vintage, made as it is in a slightly drier style (3.4 Baumé), with lovely minty fruit and full, ripe sinewy tannins all the way through the finish. Long and lithe, and very fine.
-Decanter 97 Points
A dense, thickly textured version, dripping with warm salted licorice, tar and açaí paste notes, while plum and blueberry pâte de fruit, chai spice and chocolate elements fill in behind. Lots of brambly grip flows underneath. Shows a very sappy feel on the finish. Best from 2035 through 2055. 5,250 cases made, 1,092 cases imported
-Wine Spectator 96 Points
This is a dry while also floral wine, perfumed and enticing with its juicy acidity. At the same time, the structure is very present, showing power and dark black fruits. The balance is coming together with the rich fruits and tannins melding into one. Drink from 2028. ROGER VOSS
-Wine Enthusiast 96 Points
Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate brightening of the edges. Black wildberry jam underlaid with delicate herbs and spices, tobacco nuances, hints of blueberry jam and elderberries, schisty notes. Powerful, full-bodied, sweetness present, carrying tannins, dark nougat in the finish, very good length, an imperious style, built for a long life.
Falstaff 98 Points
Rinaldi Barbera d' Asti La Bricca is made from 100% Barbera d'Asti.
"Bricca" means the top part of the hill. (see picture of the vineyards)
La Bricca is a deep, ruby-red colored wine with violet hues. The bouquet is vinous and intense with ethereal aromas (typical of the Barbera grape) and scents of ripe fruit and spices. The wine is full-bodied with very pleasant silky tannins. Long and harmonious with a good aging potential.
Enjoy it with meat dishes, rich pasta, risotto and well-aged cheeses. To appreciate the wine at its best, the bottle should be left at least 24 hours at room temperature and opened 1 hour before serving.