Special reservas
Rioja is changing. In common with a number of traditional wine-growing regions, there is a tendency to make wines for drinking younger in fresher, fruitier styles. However, the official categories - Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva - do not make change easy.
Oak is, or used to be, the hallmark of Rioja, and the rules insist upon ageing in oak barrels over specified periods - at least a year for Crianzas and Reservas, two years for Gran Reservas.
Reservas, the subject of this month's tasting, have to be aged for a further two years in bottle before they are released. The tasting was confined to reds as there are now very few wood-aged white Riojas since the rules are different for whites.
Despite the apparent sharpness of the focus, we soon realised that we were tasting a whole spectrum of styles. The wines spanned vintages from 1985 to 1990. We tasted the younger wines first and it was noted that these were made in a fresher, fruitier style with less evidence of the slow oxidisation characteristic of traditional barrel-aged products. The wines were tasted blind, but tasters were informed of the vintage sequence.
It is significant that the panel gave higher marks to the older wines. This could have been because longer bottle-age continues to harmonise the different elements in the wine. But as one taster, Yves Sauboua, observed, there was a marked difference in style between the 1990 and1989 wines on the one hand, and the older wines on the other. The newer style, he thought, was softer, with young fruit on the palate; the older was dry, tannic and closer to traditional Bordeaux. Another taster, Julia Chalkley, found the younger wines disappointing and lacking in complexity. "I can't imagine that they will develop much," she said.
Most members of the tasting panel had a distinct idea of what a Rioja Reserva should be like at its best. There should be plenty of fruit and tannic structure, modified by the gradual absorption of oak flavours from the barrel, although not dominated by them. This criterion, applied to all the wines, saw high praise accorded to the Berberana 1988, the Monte Real 1986 and Viña Ardanza 1986.
"These tasted like mature Rioja should," said one member of the panel, holding them up as models. The less successful of the older wines were thought to lack structure and suffer from an excess of acidity and disappearing fruit and tannin.
Another important observation upon which all the panel agreed was that Rioja is at its best with food. It is an outstanding restaurant wine which is a natural accompaniment to strong-tasting meat, especially mature lamb and game.
The tasters
Yves Sauboua, head sommelier of Monte's; Julia Chalkley, proprietor of Gilberts Restaurant; Patrick Gwynn-Jones, proprietor of Pomegranates; Philip Diment, proprietor of Meson Don Felipe; and Angel Garcia, chef of Albero & Grana (all London restaurants). They were joined by Caterer's regular panel, Michael Edwards, Joe Hyam and Fiona Sims.
All prices quoted are for standard cases of 12 x 75cl bottles except where specified differently.
The tasting was hosted by Albero & Grana, 89 Sloane Avenue, London.
