Bodega Lanzaga LZ 2024

LZ expresses the village of Lanziego, in Álava, in the Rioja Alavesa part of the appellation. The Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha vines rise in tiers there between 450 and 650 metres above sea level, on limestone soils and marls. This cuvée embraces the spirit of the village wine, long at the heart of Rioja tradition, reflecting solely the character of this high-altitude terroir.

A tribute to the winegrowers of Lanziego and to the style made in the 1920s, LZ is fermented in small concrete vats with native yeasts, partly as whole bunches. The wine is then aged for six to seven months in concrete vats, without oak, to preserve the most authentic expression of the fruit and the village.

This wine reveals notes of blueberry, blackberry, cherry, violet, incense, liquorice, fresh herbs, chalk. The deep ruby colour precedes an expressive, fruit-focused palate, lifted by light herbal notes from the whole bunches. The texture is juicy, with a chalky sensation and fine, polished tannins.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.