2018 Bodegas Ondarre, Rioja Gran Reserva, Spain.
Made in traditional fashion, the beautifully textured and supple 2018 Bodegas Ondarre Gran Reserva is a classic joy in the glass with a dark garnet hue and deep Tempranillo fruit on its mature and silken full bodied palate with touches of sweet cedary wood, tobacco leaf, anise, dried roses and loamy earth. The mouth is very lush, but not over the top and the layers of black raspberry, cherry and currant meld perfectly with the spicy American oak and everything comes together to provide a seriously delicious Rioja that will appeal to Rioja traditionalists and generations that cut their teeth on the classics. I had never had Ondarre before this bottle at a recent trade tasting, where it was a real sleeper in the maze of wines, and it really impressed me and coming back to it a second time brought home that this is quality stuff that needs to be on my list of follows. The grapes, all grown within the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja, with south-facing vineyards at a height of over 500 metres are low-yielding bush vines which are over 30 years old. For the Gran Reserva, which must age 5 years before release, each varietal, 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo and 5% Garnacha, and vine are chosen to produce a complex and terroir influenced wine, but still honoring traditions. These parcels are set in key soils, which allows for the depth and balance found in the wine. The Ondarre Gran Reserva usually sees the better part of two years in cask and the rest of the maturing in bottle, making it pretty ready on release to drink, but can age decades, as this 2018 seems to prove, the best I can tell. This Bodega, owned by the Olarra group, which has been around since 1971, with Luis Limousin Ucín, together with winemaker Javier Martínez de Salinas running the show now.
Rioja is going through a massive revolutionary change and a newer generation here is bringing this region and the wines into the modern world, with many more single vineyard and terroir driven offerings coming out and much less old school Reserva and Gran Reserva getting the headlines here. As a reference point, I think this Ondarre, which was founded in1986 isn’t very old, but is more like La Rioja Alta in style. Based in Viana, the Bodega is marked by the diversity of soils and ancient vineyard plots on slopes climbing up towards the Sierra de Codés, with the name a tribute to the family home that dates back to 1450. The Bodegas Ondarre Gran Reserva sees ultra careful berry selection, it is 100% de-stemmed and macerated in tank with loads of extraction and after fermentation, in stainless and cement, the wine is pressed to barrel, mostly new, with 75% American Missouri-oak barrels and 25% Allier French oak. The new kids stuff, including Artuke, Cuentaviñas, Alberto Orte and Villota are grabbing attention for their old vine and mostly higher elevation Rioja vineyard sites and the transparency of their efforts, making a more Burgundy like wine, while the classics are more oak driven and Bordeaux like. Then there are wineries, like Muga, San Vicente, Lopez de Heredia and Remelluri that are singularly iconic and mainly estate driven in personality. So there’s a vast array of fabulous Rioja to discover, even if the region’s identity is in flux, shaking off a pigeon hole and giving us so much more to explore and enjoy. The category of Rioja Reserva and Rioja Gran Reserva wines are for the most part really under priced for lovers of fine age worthy wines and there are plenty of great values out there, which this Ondarre certainly is one of, and I highly recommend it.
($30 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive