2009 La Poza de Ballesteros

The 2009 La Poza de Ballesteros, the second of the three single vineyard sites (this one consisting of 3.6-hectares), has a rich, opulent bouquet with kirsch, maraschino, shoe polish and licorice. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with saturated, corpulent tannins that caress the mouth. At its heart are layers of sumptuous ripe red cherry, fresh strawberry and vanillary new oak towards the rambunctious finish. Drink 2014-2025+. Artadi was one of several imperative visits during my visit to Rioja, where I met respected winemaker Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. His wines need little introduction, having already garnered glowing reviews in this publication and elsewhere. But what I was interested in discovering was whether Rioja can really exploit the minutiae of its multifarious terroirs and offer genuine nuances in a similar fashion to Burgundy or the Mosel (to give but two examples of regions where place is everything). If there is one man who lives by that philosophy, it is Juan Carlos, who oversees a coveted range of modern style Rioja that receive a generous amount of new French oak. Let us commence with the entry-level Vinas de Gain red and white. The Viura is harvested separately from Juan Carlos's intermixed vineyard and is fermented in 500-liter French oak barrels and kept in stainless steel tanks on the lees with three of four lees-stirring. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, www.foliowine.com in the US, and www.bbr.com in the UK.