Wine Review: Bodegas Lan Rioja Riserva 2001
Friday, August 8, 2008 by Michal The Joggler Kapral
Wine Review: Lan Rioja Riserva ($22)
Spain’s Rioja region underwent a revolution in the last eight years, as gnarly, old-style dinosaurs were replaced by higher-quality, well-rounded reds. Rioja winemakers of the 21st century modernized their equipment and coaxed more fruit and other interesting flavors out of the Tempranillo grape.
This week’s wine is a good showcase of the Rioja revolution. The Bodegas Lan Rioja Riverva 2001 ($22) is aged in oak for a year in new American oak and then spends another two years in the bottle. It’s dominated by Tempranillo (80%), but is also blended with Mazuelo and Garnacha grapes (10% each). The nose is quite tight, but I get some powdered cocoa and a tinge of mint leaf. The wine really opens up on the palette, which strikes a balance of woodsy flavors and ripe fruit. This is a medium-bodied wine, but has great depth of flavor, some well-integrated oak, cinnamon stick, oregano and other exotic spices. It’s rounded out with a pleasingly long finish.
Quaffability Rating: 89
Spain’s Rioja region underwent a revolution in the last eight years, as gnarly, old-style dinosaurs were replaced by higher-quality, well-rounded reds. Rioja winemakers of the 21st century modernized their equipment and coaxed more fruit and other interesting flavors out of the Tempranillo grape.
This week’s wine is a good showcase of the Rioja revolution. The Bodegas Lan Rioja Riverva 2001 ($22) is aged in oak for a year in new American oak and then spends another two years in the bottle. It’s dominated by Tempranillo (80%), but is also blended with Mazuelo and Garnacha grapes (10% each). The nose is quite tight, but I get some powdered cocoa and a tinge of mint leaf. The wine really opens up on the palette, which strikes a balance of woodsy flavors and ripe fruit. This is a medium-bodied wine, but has great depth of flavor, some well-integrated oak, cinnamon stick, oregano and other exotic spices. It’s rounded out with a pleasingly long finish.
Quaffability Rating: 89
Labels: Bodegas Lan Rioja Riserva, Rioja
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Michal Kapral has been enjoying wine at home since way before he was of legal age. The editor-in-chief of Canadian Running magazine runs marathons to burn off all the calories he consumes on wine and cheese. Kapral spent some time living in Italy as a teenager, solidifying his appreciation for all things wine-related. In his days as a journalism student, he was likely one of the youngest – and poorest – subscribers to Wine Spectator magazine. In 1999, Kapral turned down a job at a winery to work at Captivate, where he spent 11 years as a news editor.