After a distinctly lacklustre rioja tasting last year it has been heartening to come across some glowing beams of light in this extremely varied northern Spanish region.
Finca Allende's sumptuous Calvario 1999 is an impressive wine by any standards. It comes from a single vineyard planted in 1945 on a gravelly hillside just outside Miguel Angel de Gregorio's base in the village of Briones in Rioja Alta and this first vintage, already stunning when I first tasted it a couple of years ago, is very much the pride and joy of this iconoclastic winemaker. Extremely concentrated, long and modern with no shortage of ripe tannins underneath the welter of fruit, this wine is not exaggerated. It shows a delicate touch (not unlike Victor de la Serna's Finca Sandoval in fact). This blend of old Tempranillo with eight per cent Garnacha and two per cent Graciano is not given away, however. Its British importers %20charge%A336%20a%20bottle%20for%20it%20and%20it%20can%20be%20found%20for%20%A337.95%20at%20La Réserve shops around London.
Another ambitious red rioja that is the product of fully ripe, low-yielding vines, French oak and nannying in the cellar is Conde de Salceda 98 Rioja Reserva which splits the difference between the unabashed modernity of Calvario and the sweeter, lighter, gentler, spicier style of more traditional riojas such as Viña Ardanza 1996 (about £16 at Majestic and Sainsbury's).
This is Fernando Chivite's new creation since the Navarra family acquired this Rioja property at Elciego in Rioja Alavesa four or five years ago. It is a very fine red wine with real concentration of Tempranillo fruit and all its edges finely polished though with no lack of concentration and follow-through. It looks good too. British importer is Burridges of Arlington Street but it has recently arrived at the top two Waitroses, Canary Wharf and Kingston, where it sells for a fair £20 a bottle.
It is available elsewhere mainly on restaurant wine lists. The US importer is Chatham Importers Inc, 257 Park Avenue South, NY 10010-7304.
The contact address for more specific local and future listings is: Viña Salceda, Carretera de Cenicero, Km 3 01340 El Ciego – Rioja Alavesa, Spain (tel +34 945 6061 25, fax +34 945 60 60 69, email info@vinasalceda.com).
Those who are counting pennies and wouldn't dream of spending this much on a rioja might be interested in a particularly successful organically produced white rioja Noemus Blanco 2001 which %20of%20London%20W9%20is%20selling%20for%20%A35.99.%20Honeysuckle-scented,%20this%20wine%20is%20wildly%20fruity%20and%20packs%20farmore%20of%20a%20punch%20than%20any%20other%20unoaked%20Viura%20I%20can%20think%20of. 13/05/03