“Spain, Rioja: The 2023 and 2024 Vintages – Things Are A-Changin” by Luís Gutiérrez for The Wine Advocate
Luis Gutiérrez, responsible for tasting and evaluating wines from Spain and South America for The Wine Advocate, one of the most influential wine publications in the world, popularly known for the “Parker list,” recently published his annual report on Rioja. We were thrilled to see Javier and his reflections featured in this article.
Below, we’re sharing an excerpt from the publication, including Javier’s thoughts on the vineyard and the weather:
Talkin’ ’bout the Weather…
Javier Arizcuren, from Arizcuren Bodega y Viñedos in the south of Rioja in the village of Quel, continues to introduce regenerative agriculture practices in his vineyards and has made an assumption about the weather. He assumes all vintages from now on are going to be warm years, as he thinks we’re never going back to the pluviometry of 20 years ago, so he started working under the assumption that vines are always going to lack water and suffer high temperatures at the end of their vegetative cycle.
So, he has adopted some decisions to overcome that assumption, from pruning to harvesting. He now harvests earlier and handles the grapes in a sutler way to avoid extracting aggressive tannins or green notes, and he rarely does pump-overs. The result is lighter wines but with enough structure and an aromatic palette far away from over-ripeness. He started doing that with Tempranillo when he started making the red Monte Gatún, but it’s now something he applies to all his wines. Very interesting reflections…
Furthermore, he also explained how in his village red Monte Gatún, he’s trying to find a way to manage the thousands of hectares of Tempranillo planted in Rioja Baja. He thinks if they plant the variety at high altitude, control vigor and yields and especially harvest at the right time, they can still produce a fresh and straightforward wine that can be the backbone of a blend with local varieties and still deliver a sense of place.
You can buy all the wines tasted by Luis Gutiérrez for The Wine Advocate in our ⇒ online store.