Rioja wines: reds for ageing, Garnacha and Viura whites
47 bottles, from joven to gran reservaA red for ageing with aromas of cherry and spice, a hillside Garnacha, a white polished by ageing: the Ebro valley offers all of this, from everyday wine to the bottle for the cellar. Tempranillo dominates, Garnacha takes the heights, and the designations crianza, reserva and gran reserva tell you the length of ageing.
The selection ranges from the great houses of Haro to the single-plot wines of Artadi, Macán and Juan Carlos Sancha.
Dominio del Challao - Virna 2022
A rich and balanced Spanish red, where ripe fruit meets a supple and harmonious palate.
Gómez Cruzado - Pancrudo Garnacha 2022
A high-altitude Garnacha, luminous and precise, which combines freshness, finesse and aromatic intensity.
La Rioja Alta - Gran Reserva 904 2016
A great classic from Rioja Alta, combining finesse, aromatic complexity and remarkable aging potential.
La Rioja Alta - Gran Reserva 890 2011
A great classic Rioja, combining aromatic complexity, fine texture and very long aging potential.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Ad Libitum Maturana Blanca 2023
A rare and precise Rioja white, which reveals with purity the singular character of the Maturana Blanca.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Ad Libitum tinto 2021
A precise and fresh Rioja Alta red, which highlights the uniqueness of the Maturana Tinta on a high-altitude terroir.
Artadi - Viñas de Gain Blanco 2019
A precise and saline white from Rioja Alavesa, where Viura expresses all the mineral finesse of its limestone slopes.
La Rioja Alta - Viña Ardanza Reserva Assemblage 2017
A great Rioja in the classic style, combining aromatic depth, balance and elegance on the palate.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Ad Libitum Blanco 2024
A precise and vibrant Rioja white wine from high altitude, which purely reveals the character of the rare Maturana Blanca grape variety.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Cerro la Isa tinto 2019
A precise and fresh high-altitude Garnacha from Rioja Oriental, which finely expresses the unique character of the Cerro la Isa terroir.
Artadi - La Poza de Ballesteros 2022
A great single-vineyard Tempranillo, combining depth, fruit precision and a pure expression of the Rioja Alavesa terroir.
Juan Carlos Sancha - Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta 2024
A rare Maturana Tinta from Rioja Alta, combining freshness, aromatic intensity and elegant structure.
Bodega Lanzaga - Lanzaga 2021
A precise and profound Rioja Alavesa with a strong sense of terroir, where freshness and tannic finesse combine with beautiful aromatic intensity.
Artadi - Valdegines 2022
A single-vineyard Tempranillo that precisely reveals the finesse and chalky depth of Rioja Alavesa.
Artadi - El Carretil 2022
A great, precise, and deep terroir Tempranillo that elegantly expresses the singularity of Rioja Alavesa.
Artadi - San Lazaro 2022
A single-plot Tempranillo that precisely expresses the chalky finesse and depth of Rioja Alavesa.
Artadi - Viña El Pison 2022
A profound and precise expression of the Rioja Alavesa terroir, combining aromatic intensity with great textural finesse.
Artadi - La Hoya 2022
A red from Rioja Alavesa that combines fruit depth, tannic finesse, and the elegance of its limestone terroir.
Dominio del Challao - Challao 2021
A high-altitude Rioja, deep and taut. Fine fruit meets the limestone imprint of Labastida.
Artadi - Viñas de Gain 2021
A Rioja Alavesa Tempranillo, at once juicy, fresh and finely spiced. Elegant fruit in the service of terroir.
Macán - Macán Clásico 2021
A precise, silky Rioja Tempranillo, where fresh fruit meets the elegance of spice and oak.
Macán - Macán 2020
A great Rioja Tempranillo, deep and silky, where controlled power and freshness move forward together.
Palacios Remondo - Plácet Valtomelloso 2018
A high-class white wine, made by master Álvaro Palacios
Villages, sub-zones and altitudes
The appellation follows the Ebro through La Rioja, Álava and Navarre. The Atlantic west gives taut reds, the drier east sun-drenched wines where Garnacha thrives.
| Place | Sub-zone | Soil and altitude | A bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haro and its slopes | Rioja Alta, southern part | Clay-limestone and alluvium, Atlantic influence | Viña Alberdi Reserva 2021La Rioja Alta, €29.70 a bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Pago Canajas, upper Ygay | Rioja Alta, southern part | Clay-limestone, from 320 to 485 m | Gran Reserva 2016Marqués de Murrieta, €61.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| Baños de Río Tobía, Najerilla Valley | Rioja Alta | Clay and limestone, south-facing slope at 650 m | Peña El Gato 2022Juan Carlos Sancha, €26.00 a bottle, or €25.00 by the case of 6 |
| San Vicente de la Sonsierra | Rioja Alta, north bank of the Ebro | Clay-limestone and gravel, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria | Macán Clásico 2021Macán, €66.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| Labastida | Rioja Alavesa | Sand, marl and limestone, 580 m | Challao 2021Dominio del Challao, €179.00 a bottle, sold individually |
| Laguardia and Elvillar | Rioja Alavesa | Clay-limestone, sand and silt, at the foot of the Sierra de Toloño | Viñas de Gain 2021Artadi, €41.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3 |
| Mount Yerga, near Alfaro | Rioja Oriental | North-east slope, vines at 550 m | La Montesa 2021Palacios Remondo, €23.00 a bottle, individually or by the case of 6 |
In 2015 Artadi chose to leave the appellation and label its wines with the name of Laguardia and of its plots: El Pisón, El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros. Its bottles remain pure children of Rioja Alavesa.
From joven to single-plot wine
The classic terms measure the length of ageing. The newer terms, village wine and singular vineyard, designate a place: two ways to choose your bottle.
| Please mention | Rule for a red | In the glass | To taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joven or genérico | Short or tank ageing, early bottling | Crunchy fruit, fine tannins | La Vendimia 2018Palacios Remondo, €13.50 a bottle, by the case of 6, or €29.00 per magnum |
| Crianza | 24 months' ageing, including 12 in barrique | Ripe fruit, discreet oak | Crianza 2021Gómez Cruzado, €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Reserva | 36 months, including 12 in barrique and 6 in bottle | Sweet spice, candied fruit | Viña Ardanza Reserva 2017La Rioja Alta, €49.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3 |
| Village wine | 60 months, including 24 in barrique and 24 in bottle | Mature bouquet, leather, long ageing potential | Gran Reserva 904 2016La Rioja Alta, €115.60 a bottle, sold individually |
| Singular vineyard | Grapes from a single village, named on the label | The imprint of a village | Cerro Las Cuevas 2018Gómez Cruzado, Haro, €60.00 a bottle, by the lot of 2 |
| White for ageing | Identified plot, vines at least 35 years old, limited yields | Precision, depth | Dalmau 2020Marqués de Murrieta, Pago Canajas, €230.00 a bottle, sold individually |
Minimum durations for reds; whites and rosés follow shorter durations.
A bottle for every mood
Start with the occasion, and the bottle will follow.
The red for evenings with friends
Tempranillo from sixty-year-old vines in the north of Rioja: light, fresh and velvety, with raspberry and strawberry.
Finca Cienvacas 2024, €8.90 a bottle, by the case of 6A hillside Garnacha
Old bush vines farmed organically at 650 m, in the Najerilla valley: a fresh, deep red.
Peña El Gato 2022, €26.00 a bottle, or €25.00 by the case of 6The classic gran reserva
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano from Finca Ygay, long aged: a deep, fresh, silky red.
Gran Reserva 2016, Marqués de Murrieta, €61.00 a bottle, in lots of 2A winemaker's Alavesa
Old bush vines around Lanciego, on limestone: a fresh, precise Tempranillo with fine tannins.
Lanzaga 2021, €40.40 a bottle, by the lot of 3A white for the table
Viura and Tempranillo Blanco from the slopes of Haro: a fresh, precise white, for poultry or grilled fish.
Rioja Blanco 2022, Gómez Cruzado, €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6Discover a rare grape variety
Maturana Tinta, an old Rioja grape variety, farmed organically in Baños de Río Tobía: a fresh, intense red.
Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta 2024, Juan Carlos Sancha, €16.60 a bottle, by the case of 6Tempranillo elsewhere
Rioja's grape variety in other climates: our Tempranillo bottles brought together in one range, to compare.
From American oak to the single plot
For a long time Rioja was read through the length of ageing: a wine patiently aged in American oak barriques earned its stripes as a reserva, then a gran reserva. In Haro, La Rioja Alta and Gómez Cruzado carry on this school, as does Marqués de Murrieta at Finca Ygay.
Another reading has taken hold, that of place. Artadi in Laguardia, Lanzaga in Lanciego, Macán in the Sonsierra or Juan Carlos Sancha in the Najerilla isolate a village, a slope, an old bush vine. We keep both schools side by side: one for the festive table, the other for understanding a terroir.
White, the other face of Rioja
Viura, called Macabeo elsewhere in Spain, remains the backbone of Rioja whites. Tempranillo Blanco, a mutation of Tempranillo, and Maturana Blanca, an old grape variety brought back, give it relief. Taste the Maturana Blanca of Ad Libitum Blanco 2024 (€15.00 a bottle, by the case of 6) or Plácet Valtomelloso 2018, Viura aged 11 months on fine lees (€27.50 a bottle, by the case of 6).
The Wine Wanderer Team
What people ask us about Rioja
What is the difference between crianza, reserva and gran reserva?
These designations measure the minimum ageing of a red: 24 months for crianza, including 12 in barrique; 36 for reserva, including 12 in barrique; 60 for gran reserva, including 24 in barrique and 24 in bottle. Compare Finca San Martín Crianza 2021 (€17.60 a bottle, by the case of 6) and Viña Arana 2016 (€65.60 a bottle, by the lot of 2).
Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa or Rioja Oriental: what are the differences?
Rioja Alta, in the west, receives the Atlantic influence: taut reds, made for ageing. Rioja Alavesa, north of the Ebro in the Basque Country, plants Tempranillo on limestone slopes sheltered by the Sierra de Cantabria. Rioja Oriental, hotter, gives pride of place to Garnacha, like Palacios Remondo's La Montesa 2021 (€23.00 a bottle, sold individually).
Which Rioja to choose for under €20?
Finca Cienvacas 2024, a light, fresh Tempranillo, costs €8.90 a bottle, by the case of 6. David Moreno's Tinto Madurado 2022 sells for €11.90, sold individually. For a crianza, Gómez Cruzado Crianza 2021 is €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6. Widen your search to Spanish wines sorted by price.
Rioja or Ribera del Duero: which one to choose?
Both are based on Tempranillo. Rioja gives suppler reds, marked by ageing and often blended with Garnacha or Graciano. Ribera del Duero, on a plateau above 750 m, delivers denser, darker wines. The Tempranillo range brings the two together.
Does Rioja produce white wines?
Yes, from Viura, sometimes blended with Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca or Garnacha Blanca. Aged in oak, these whites gain breadth. Gómez Cruzado's Rioja Blanco 2022 costs €17.90 a bottle, by the case of 6; Artadi's Viñas de Gain Blanco 2019, €41.00 a bottle, by the lot of 3.
How long can you keep a Rioja wine?
A joven such as La Vendimia or an easy-drinking red such as Finca Cienvacas is drunk within five years. A crianza, or a Garnacha such as La Montesa, opens up between five and ten years. Gran reservas and single-plot wines (Viña Arana, 904, Macán, Challao, El Pisón) can take ten years in the cellar and more.
At what temperature should Rioja be served, and with which dishes?
Serve the reds between 16 and 18 °C, a little cooler for a joven, and decant a young gran reserva. Tempranillo loves roast lamb, grilled beef, game and aged pressed cheeses. Viura white goes with poultry and fish in sauce.
What is a Viñedo Singular in Rioja?
Since 2017, the Rioja DOCa has recognised singular vineyards: an identified plot, vines at least 35 years old, reduced yields, hand harvesting. The designation puts the place first. In this spirit, taste Juan Carlos Sancha's Cerro la Isa tinto 2019, at €75.40 a bottle, by the lot of 2.