Arizuren, 2022 Barranco del Prado, Rioja ($126 per bottle, 3-pack)

$378.60 / 3-bottle case - SAVE $57.00

The top wine from Arizcuren is a single vineyard field blend planted in the 1890’s with Garnacha and 3% of other red and white varieties. The key factor is the altitude. At 770 meters it is one of the highest in all of Rioja, bestowing remarkable freshness and focus. The 2022 vintage has not yet been rated. From the 2021 vintage:

TA95: ”Scented, wild, and black fruited, it has notes of rosemary and oregano and a focused, chiselled high acid finish. 2025-32.”

About the producer

Javier Arizcuren, architect and winemaker, hails from the town of Quel, in Rioja Oriental. Here his family has cared for vineyards on the slopes of the Sierra de Yerga since at least the end of the 19^th century. Old vineyards, between 30 and 120 years old, and at altitudes of between 530 and 800 meters, are planted in the traditional local varieties; Garnacha, Mazuelo (Cariñena) and Viura, and some ‘lost’ ones like Calagraño, Tinta Velasco and Miguel de Arco.

 His first vintage was in 2016. Javier’s main goal is restoring and re-introducing the heritage of Rioja Baja (now Rioja Oriental) as well as the heritage of bush-vine training in the region. As Javier explains, the region uprooted a lot of Garnacha for Tempranillo and started planting in the lower, hotter Ebro valley. This way, the sub-zone gained a reputation for being the warmest, yet the slopes of the Monte Yerga are some of the coolest in all of Rioja. The region lost its identity, which Javier is desperate to restore. Wines are produced in a ‘garage’ winery in the town of Logroño, which doubles as a wineshop/tasting room (“Taller de Arizcuren Vinos”), which is a must-visit if you are in town