2019 Bodegas Tierra Agrícola Labastida Rioja ‘El Primavera’

100% sustainable, estate grown and dry farmed Tempranillo from three of the estate’s youngest vineyards in Rioja Alavesa. Average vine age is 20 years. Fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel. This wine maintains its fresh, fruity character through temperature control and limiting exposure to oxygen with fewer pumpovers during fermentation. Half of the wine is aged for four months in French and American oak and the other half in concrete. 13.5% alcohol. 

Excellent value on old-school Rioja with a little bit of bottle age on it! Aromatic nose of black cherry, dark plum, violets, lavender, herbs, sweet tobacco and discrete oak notes of toasted coconut and vanilla. Dry, bold and medium-plus bodied, with lush fruit and savory earthiness on the palate, wrapped up with still-present tannins and acidity. 

Located in Labastida (Rioja Alavesa), Bodegas Tierra is owned by Carlos Fernández alongside his brothers Fidel (winemaker at Luis Cañas) and Raúl. Their grandfather was one of the founders of the local co-operative in 1964, but their father left it to start producing wine on his own. Upon his arrival from Casalarreina, the grandfather could only afford to buy some of the poorest vineyards in the area. Now Carlos loves to take visitors there to admire his vines. “If there’s one thing we can really boast about, that is our vineyards,” he points out proudly. 

The family owns 60 acres and rents 50 more in the big part of this village that stretches from the banks of the Ebro river in the south to the foothills of mount Toloño to the north. Although they don’t farm organically, they favour minimum intervention and describe their philosophy as “clean farming” and have been successfully using biodynamic principles.  Tierra produces around 200,000 bottles in its picturesque facilities in the old Jewish quarter of Labastida that can only be accessed up a couple of really steep slopes. Oak vats, concrete eggs, foudres and barrels of different sizes are intermingled in a winery that includes four houses built on several underground cellars dating back to 1400 and 1500.