Tasting Notes
Now labelled as Bodega Lanzaga Lanzaga Rioja rather than Telmo Rodriguez Lanzaga Rioja, this more elegant style of Rioja is gaining in popularity as people shun the commercial style. Telmo is named as one of Tim Atkin's top 10 Rioja Producers in Decanter magazine and rightly so; this is my favourite of all his wines. The grapes for this blend of 85% Tempranillo with 10% Garnacha or Grenache and 5% Graciano are grown organically (certified) and bio-dynamically on traditional bush vines and hand-picked before being prodcued into wine without commercially produced yeast or chemicals.
It's lovely and complex, like the 2012, also a warm vintage, a fruity wine with structure, elegance and a minerally freshness. It will release its aromas and flavours more readily if decanted or swirled in the glass. It's a light to medium-bodied wine but a serious style of Rioja with redcurrants, cherries, blackberries with chocolate and spice and a hint of oak. It has a long, silky finish. Whilst drinking nicely now, this wine has the body, fruit and tannins to evolve further in the next few years.
Food Pairing
Recommended to drink with game, duck, goose, steak and other red meats, poultry, cheese, charcuterie and paella
Producer's Notes
"Lanzaga is ... the purest expression of our work in Lanciego and the main wine of our project in Rioja. Made only from a selection of the best grapes from ... our 15 to 20 hectares of organic vineyards ... with a very limited production. Lanzaga is a Rioja wine that has a true sense of place, a rich and complex expression of the village where it has been made. Expressive and complex on the nose with flowers, berries, cured meat, spices and minerals. Fresh and elegant on the palate with refined tannins."
Awards
93+ points Robert Parker Jun 2019
"I previewed three vintages of the village red from Lanciego in Rioja, starting with the 2014 Lanzaga. This was a great opportunity to check how the wine is evolving. They used larger barrels and are making the wine more transparent and increasing the amount of other grapes (it probably has less Tempranillo since perhaps 2012), and I see incremental improvements in quality. Of course, you have to take into account the conditions of the growing season. Here you see more ripeness than in 2013, but it feels very balanced and harmonious, with fine tannins and a tasty finish."
Telmo Rodriguez is one of Master of Wine Tim Atkin's top 10 Rioja producers Decanter Mar 2018
Wine Spectator
“Spain is probably the most dynamic wine country in Europe right now, thanks to people like Rodriguez and Eguzkiza and a younger generation that is following their example. They want to prove that Spain is not just a source for value, but a land with incredible terroirs.”
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
“The current Telmo Rodriguez collection includes wine produced in eight different DOs, all of them fermented with native yeasts. The fact that quality ranges from excellent to outstanding is a tribute to his talent and attention to detail.”
