The
wines of Finca Allende, Rioja, Spain
Part 1 of a series based on a visit to Rioja
It was harvest time, and I was visiting
Rioja for just the second time (actually, my first visit had just
been for a single day, so it doesn't really count!).
It's a region that I've had mixed
feelings about in the past, because the bulk of its production is
dull, commercial red wine with coconut and vanilla notes from
spending too long in oak.
Looking over the rooftop of the Allende winery to the vineyards
But if you look at the vineyards, with
their treasure trove of old vines and interesting-looking terroirs,
the potential here is enormous. I just wish that more Rioja
producers took a more quality-minded approach, and made the most of
the superb vineyards. Anyway, here I was, with an interesting list
of appointments, and the chance to learn more about this celebrated
region.
The Allende winery
The first visit of our itinerary was one
I was looking forward to Finca Allende, located in the village of
Briones, is highly regarded as one of the more modern, high-end
Rioja producers. Founded as recently as 1995, Allende produce 300
000 bottles annually.
Six wines are made. The first to be
released was the Allende red, launched in 1995. In 1996, a second
wine joined the portfolio: Aurus. This was joined in 1999 by
Calvario and also the Allende white. In 2004 a small amount of a
varietal Graciano was made, and the most recent addition is the
Martillas.
We were hosted by Nathalie Lebouef,
export director. Allende take a very much terroir-driven approach,
that’s quite refreshing in Rioja, which is dominated by large
wineries without a lot of connection to the vineyards. Allende have
56 hectares of vines, split among 92 different plots. These cover 14
different terroirs. ‘In the wine business you only harvest once a
year, so it has taken a long time to work out the terroirs,’ says
Nathalie.
‘The history of Rioja is very much in
connection to the history of Bordeaux,’ she says. When phylloxera
hit Bordeaux, the negociants came here to the other side of the
Pyrenees in search of wines that bore some resemblance to Bordeaux.
They brought with them the barrels that are now such a feature of
Rioja and also winemaking expertise.
But Allende aren’t very Bordeaux like.
‘In our opinion, Briones is a little tiny Burgundy,’ explains
Nathalie. ‘There’s all the terroir and the mystery around the
terroir.’
Miguel Angel de Gregorio, the man behind
Allende, along with his sister Mercedes, has a new project: Finca
Nueva. It’s a label based on 20 hectares of vines in Briones that
are not used for Allende. The Allende vineyards are predominantly
red clay, with a high iron content, resulting in more serious,
tannic wines. Nueva uses mainly calcareous soils, resulting in more
fruity, more accessible wines.
THE
WINES
These first notes are from a more recent tasting
Finca Allende Blanco 2011 Rioja, Spain
Complex, rich, nutty nose with some spice, peach and honey
notes. Powerful spicy, nutty palate with lively rich fruit and notes
of vanilla and spice. It's bold, but it works really well. 92/100
(06/15)
Finca Allende Martires Blanco 2011 Rioja, Spain
This is from a single vineyard planted in 1970, and the first
vintage of this wine was 2010. Textured and powerful with sweet
peachy fruit and some melon notes. Lovely minerally, grainy, spicy
palate is dense but detailed. 94/100 (06/15)
Finca Allende Tinto 2007 Rioja, Spain
Fresh, vivid and a bit spicy with nice direct black fruits, and
notes of herbs and tar. Sweet but with a savoury side, and nice
balance. 92/100 (06/15)
Finca Allende Tinto 2008 Rioja, Spain
Pure, sweet liqueur-like black fruits nose. Brooding, smooth and
fresh on the palate with lovely cherries and plums and black fruits.
Very stylish. 93/100 (06/15)
Finca Allende Calvario 2006 Rioja, Spain
Single-vineyard wine. Sweet, meaty and spicy with nice rich
black fruits. Lovely lush, sweet fruit but also has some elegance.
Expressive wine in a ripe style. 94/100 (06/15)
Finca Allende Aurus 2007 Rioja, Spain
85% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano. 24 months in new French oak.
Sweet, lush and dense with fine grained tannins. Textural and rich;
ripe, bold and warm and has very soft tannic structure. Some vanilla
and coconut, too. 93/100 (06/15)
Older notes, from the visit (10/10)
Finca Nueva Barrel-Fermented White
2009 Rioja
Made from Viura, this is aromatic and toasty with fine fruit and
notes of vanilla. The palate is fresh with some grapefruit notes as
well as pineapple richness. Subtle oak. 88/100
Finca Allende Branco 2007 Rioja
13.5% alcohol. 80% Viura, 20% Malvasia. Very complex toasty,
spicy nose with peach and pear richness, as well as a crystalline
fruit quality. The palate is dense, rich and toasty with complex
spicy notes and nice freshness. Real potential here, with good
complexity. 32 000 bottles produced. 92/100
Finca Nueva Crianza 2006 Rioja
Open, inviting nose with bright, sweet cherry fruit. Quite open
with lovely fruity quality. The palate is supple and vibrant with
fresh cherry fruit, some berry fruit and a savoury, mineral twist. A
lovely wine with a hint of seriousness. 91/100
Finca Nueva Reserva 2004 Rioja
This spends 24 months in old French oak. Sweet, open cherry
fruit nose with a creamy vanilla sweetness and hints of caramel. The
palate is sweet, open and berryish with some grip. Lacks the
vibrancy and purity of fruit of the Crianza. 88/100
Finca Allende 2005 Rioja
100% Tempranillo aged for 14 months in mainly new French oak.
Lovely sweet ripe black cherry and blackberry nose with a slight
roast coffee/tar edge. The palate is vibrant with dark fruits and a
spicy, slightly funky animal note. Nicely savoury and tightwound,
with good structure. Is there some Brettanomyces here? Still, it’s
tasty. 92/100 (300 000 bottles made)
Finca Allende Calvario 2005
A vineyard planted in 1945, with 90% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha
and 2% Graciano. Gravel/stone soils. 18 months in new French oak.
Very fine and elegant: rich, dense and sweet but well balanced with
plum and cherry fruit, refined minerality and some spiciness. Firm
yet fine-grained tannins. Great concentration but superb balance
too. 95/100
Finca Allende Aurus 2005
95% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano. 24 months new French oak. Ripe,
sweet, open nose of dark cherries, blackberries and sweet spicy oak.
The palate has some creamy oak but also nice depth of fine ripe
fruit. Smooth and silky, but the oak is prominent now. Should age
well. 93/100
RIOJA
SERIES
Part
1, Finca Allende
Part
2, La Rioja Alta
Part
3, Valdemar
Part
4, Bodegas Riojanas
Part
5, Remirez de Ganuza
Part
6, Ontañón
Published
03/11
Wines tasted 10/10
and
06/15
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
An older
report from May 2005:
Finca
Allende represents the new face of Spanish wine. You thought Rioja
was all about ‘traditional’ wines that were under-macerated and
aged for a long time in old American oak? Think again: the way
things are developing (and for the better) is that winegrowers are
going back to the vineyard. They are producing wines with good
concentration, phenolic ripeness, and are tending towards shorter
stays in mostly French oak.
Allende
is based in the up-coming Rioja village of Briones in the Rioja
Alta. As well as a base for Allende, it’s now also home to Dinastía
Vivanco’s Museum of the Culture of Wine, which has been described
as ‘sensational’ in the press, and another top ‘new wave’
producer, Miguel Merino. ‘The wine village of Briones is the
undiscovered jewel of Rioja’, says Charles Metcalfe in a piece in Wine
International last year. Praise indeed.
Wines
were first produced under the Allende label in 1986, although it
wasn’t until 1995 that their winery was built. Then, in 1999
Allende bought an eighteenth century, which is the current
company’s head office. Miguel Angel de Gregorio is the guy
responsible for winemaking, and owns the estate together with his
sister Mercedes. His day job used to be with Bodegas Bretón, from
1989 until 1997.
As well as using grapes from their own 22 hectares,
they also buy in some from local growers. In all, they use grapes
from 92
different parcels, and the way they are going is to try to
understand the characteristics of the vineyards, respecting the
origins of the wine. Finca Allende comes from vines averaging 35
years old while Calvario is a single vineyard that’s 60 years old.
Top wine is Aurus, which I didn’t try here.
Finca
Allende Blanco 2002 Rioja
This is quite an unusual white wine, but I like it. The open
herby nose leads to a palate that’s soft, nutty and open with a
creamy texture. Very good+ 88/100
(£13.95 Berry Bros & Rudd)
Finca
Allende 2000 Rioja Spain
There’s a slightly minerally edge to the fresh, crushed red
fruits nose which is really appealing. The palate is savoury with
lots of fresh, bright fruit. Nice density. It’s very pure, fruity
and expressive. A delicious modern-styled Rioja. Very good/excellent
92/100
(£13.95 Berry Bros & Rudd)
Finca
Allende Calvario 2002 Rioja, Spain
Very dark coloured. There are vivid, intense bright fruits on
the nose which is delightfully pure. The palate is concentrated and
full, dense and savoury, with great depth of fruit. It’s red
rather than black fruits that dominate, with a deliciously smooth
structure. A fantastic wine. Very good/excellent 94/100 (£49.95
Berry Bros & Rudd)
See
also: the wines of Spain
Wines tasted 05/05
Find
these wines with wine-searcher.com
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