Arizuren, 2022 Solo Garnacha, Rioja ($65 per bottle, 6-pack)

$391.20 / 6-bottle case - SAVE $59.00

RP93: “The bright ruby colored 2022 Sologarnacha was produced with grapes from old vines in the Monte Yerga trying to respect the variety and the place. The grapes fermented with 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 400- and 500-litre oak barrels for 12 months. It's ripe at 15% alcohol, reflecting a warm and dry year, and it's aromatic and expressive but with elegance and balance and is surprisingly fresh on the palate. It has pungent flavors and fine tannins. This is a triumph over a warm and dry year.1,340 bottles were filled in September 2023.”

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