Lanzaga, the entry-level offering from Spanish cult winemaker Telmo Rodríguez, is drawn from several of his high-altitude vineyards in Lanciego, Rioja. Rodríguez describes his Lanzaga project as a harking back to the 18th century, before Phylloxera, and before Rioja lost its way pleasing Bordeaux (Rodríguez’s wines are now sold via the Place de Bordeaux). I like his vineyard-oriented approach to winemaking, something that’s growing in fashion in Rioja and, for me, that’s no bad thing. But this wine feels a little lacking in typicity, either regional or varietal, and I’d certainly struggle to pick it out in a blind tasting. It’s really fresh, crunchy, clean and quite reminiscent of Cabernet – this could be a modest left bank Bordeaux blend. The finish is a little short and, though it’s objectively a very nicely crafted wine, I had higher hopes.
Lanzaga, the entry-level offering from Spanish cult winemaker Telmo Rodríguez, is drawn from several of his high-altitude vineyards in Lanciego, Rioja. Rodríguez describes his Lanzaga project as a harking back to the 18th century, before Phylloxera, and before Rioja lost its way pleasing Bordeaux (Rodríguez’s wines are now sold via the Place de Bordeaux). I like his vineyard-oriented approach to winemaking, something that’s growing in fashion in Rioja and, for me, that’s no bad thing. But this wine feels a little lacking in typicity, either regional or varietal, and I’d certainly struggle to pick it out in a blind tasting. It’s really fresh, crunchy, clean and quite reminiscent of Cabernet – this could be a modest left bank Bordeaux blend. The finish is a little short and, though it’s objectively a very nicely crafted wine, I had higher hopes.
Dec 2nd, 2024
La Rioja, Spain
