Bodegas Ondarre Rivallana Crianza Rioja 2023
£11.45
The wine
Spicy, ripe fruit aromas are complemented by subtle hints of vanilla oak. On the palate, savoury characters are layered with ripe fruit flavours in this traditionally styled Rioja Crianza.
Crianza requires two years of ageing with at least one in oak, and it is the first rung of Rioja's classification ladder. Tempranillo leads, with Garnacha for flesh and Mazuelo for structure. American oak has traditionally been used here rather than French, which is where Rioja's characteristic vanilla and coconut note comes from.
The producer
Bodegas Ondarre
View all Bodegas Ondarre winesFounded in 1985 to make wines showing the distinct terroirs of the region, Bodegas Ondarre sits in the town of Viana overlooking the Rioja valley, and is the only winery in the village.
Viana lies in Rioja Oriental, the warmest and driest of Rioja's three sub-regions, formerly called Rioja Baja until the name was changed in 2018 because baja, meaning low, was doing the area no favours. It is Garnacha country as much as Tempranillo, and the heat gives riper, rounder wines than the cooler Alta and Alavesa to the west.
The house speciality is Reserva, and Rioja's ageing classifications are worth knowing: Crianza requires two years with one in oak, Reserva three years with one in oak, and Gran Reserva five years with two in oak. Almost uniquely among the world's regions, Rioja releases its wines ready to drink. Ondarre have built long relationships with the best growers in the area, working with many of them since the beginning.
