The taste is like a floods of berries (boysenberry, blackberry, cassis) on the palate, with some musk and suede and vanilla meringue. There is a slate texture, refined, yet approachable. This is an opportunity to enjoy classic, old-school, traditional Rioja. 75% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha & 5% Viura from the cooler parts of Rioja.  Eva Valgañón and Oscar Alegre are artisan winemakers, resurrecting the old-school Rioja style of wine making. Their dedication and focus in wine making style is not only before Western palates that preferred bold, ripe styles took hold in the region but also before phylloxera ripped through France and wine making underwent changes to accommodate French demand. 

Today, the traditional Rioja is making a strong comeback, as connoisseurs come to realize that the sumptuous CUNE Viña Reals and Lopez Tondonias and Bosconias from the 1940s to the 1970s are among the planet’s greatest wine treasures. And the recent rise to stardom of the relatively young, but staunchly traditional, Hermanos Peciña, offers compelling evidence of the world’s growing love affair with Rioja as it was once made.

Yet, it’s often forgotten that what we know as “Traditional Rioja” is less than 150 years old, having been created in the wake of Phylloxera in the late 1800s. Before that, an earlier tradition flourished that featured viticulture and winemaking on a far smaller scale, allowing vine-by-vine attention to fruit quality, and the inclusion of stems during fermentation and shorter time in larger barrels.

Since 2014, the husband-wife team of Oscar Alegre and Eva Valgañón have embraced this even more ancient tradition. By working strictly with tiny lots, they are turning out head-spinning reds and whites that capture the best of their beloved land’s 1,000+ year history. And, their wines informed by this ancestral wisdom, are offering something unique in today’s Rioja landscape.