Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

Any discussion of traditional Rioja must start with the two most ubiquitous proponents of Spain's most prominent wine region, Marques de Caceres and Bodegas Maques de Riscal.

These two respected bodegas have dominated the market for Spanish wine in the United States for at least two decades, though demand for more modern wines and curiosity about other quality producers has loosened their grip and opened the market to a growing number of new players.

Caceres and Riscal have always made true-to-type standards from the Rioja region, offering crianza of good quality and value, with reserves and gran reservas that are clearly of good quality but in a style that is no longer playing well with new consumers who prefer more fruit, new oak and alcohol in their red wines.

Caceres' effort in the modern style, Gaudium Gran Vino, is not at the same level in quality as wines produced by rivals such as Muga, Roda and Ardati, so it is with the more traditional lineup of Caceres crianzas, reservas and gran reservas that Caceres must be judged, and it seems that the once-great bodega has been eclipsed.

Riscal, on the other hand, appears to have maintained its high standards, continuing to put out reservas and gran reservas that can stand up to the new wave as well as other high-quality producers in the more traditional style of Rioja, with less of an emphasis on fruit than secondary aromas and suave tannins, which are the two hallmarks of all great traditional Riojas.

Both Caceres and Riscal deliver a decent bang for the buck and have substantial influence in the market, but I have chosen to focus on three other traditional bodegas of Rioja, each of which was founded more than 100 years ago, that I believe compete favorably with the new generation of modern Rioja producers.

TASTING NOTES

Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value.

CUNE

Cune's long history of excellence has been impressive. Founded more than 100 years ago as the Companies Vinicola del Norte de Espana, the Cune wines are benchmarks for the traditional style of Rioja. Cune has been chopped up in recent years so that a couple of wines in its line — Vina Real and Contino — operate independently under the Cune banner.

One thing remains constant, however: The Cune Imperial Gran Reserva, produced only in the finest vintages, remains one of the giants of Spanish wine. Over the course of a massive tasting at Cune, I am happy to report that the Cune 2006 Crianza (85 points, $14), the winery's everyday wine, is still a good value in an easy drinking style that is typical of traditional Rioja crianzas in general.

Things get serious as you move up the chain, starting with the Vina Real 2004 Reserva (90 points, $30), a suave wine with luscious red-fruited aromas, hints of wood smoke and spice and supple tannins. The Imperial 2001 Reserva (93 points, $45) is a wine of greater depth and substance, and obviously considerably more age.

But the Imperial 1998 Gran Reserva (95 points, $68) is a show-stopper, of course, with notes of spice and balsamic on the nose, exquisite balance and finesse on the palate, and complex layers of blackberry and plum fruit, with accent notes of anise and a hint of minerality.

This wine is simply stunning at a still youthful 11 years of age.

One other Cune wine deserving of a rave was the 2005 Contino Vina del Olivo (95 points, $120), which is a blend of 80 percent tempranillo and 20 percent graciano. Even such a small percentage of graciano leaves its mark on this wine, which is a deep, dark red in the glass, with aromas of violets and black currant and a generous whiff of oak vanillin. Complex black-fruited aromas combined with suave tannins and a rich mouthfeel give the Contino Vina del Olivo a stunning presence that is far outside the box of traditional Rioja. And we like it!

LOPEZ HEREDIA

R. Lopez Heredia is 132 years young and still family run, a remarkable achievement considering the feast-or-famine history of the wine business and the insatiable appetite in the corporate wine world for established brands with a solid reputation. Lopez Heredia is Rioja's third oldest continuously operating bodega.

Lopez Heredia, as it is most commonly known, is about longevity. Lopez Heredia wines are as cellar-worthy as any in Spain, including the renowned Vega Secilia. During a routine tour of the cellar with winemaker Mercedes Lopez de Heredia, whose great grandfather Rafael Lopez Heredia founded the winery in 1877, we pulled out a couple of older bottles for tasting at the end of the tour.

One was a 1970 Lopez Heredia Blanco, the other a 1976 Lopez Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva. I rather expected the '76 to be in outstanding condition, and it was. Quite unexpectedly, the 1970 Blanco was an otherworldly tasting experience. The wine had aged beautifully, with no browning. It was shimmering golden nectar in the glass, with aromas that remained fruit-based but giving way to notes of honey and brioche.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you age a white Rioja for 39 years, but it's impressive to discover a Rioja blanco that can age so gracefully. Lopez Heredia currently has a 1987 Gran Reserva tinto on the market along with a 1991 blanco. Since my experience in the Lopez Heredia cellar, I would not hesitate to purchase either one.

RIOJANAS

Riojanas, founded in 1890, is another of the old lions that has managed to change with the times and produce exceptional quality despite something of an identity crisis throughout greater Rioja.

Riojanas solved the crisis by planting one firmly squarely in each camp. The Monte Real wines of Riojanas are unflinchingly traditional, with wines at all three tiers (crianza, reserva and gran reserva) that reflect the time-tested sensibilities of the Rioja winemaker: smooth tannins, muted fruit aromas, lovely nuances of spice, wood, earth, mushrooms, and a touch of balsamic as the wines age.

The 2005 Monte Real Crianza (89 points, $15) and the 2004 Gran Albina (93 points, $45) were the standouts for me at both the entry level and the very best that Riojanas can do. A 1964 Monte Real Gran Reserva was opened to demonstrate the aging potential of the Riojanas wines, and it passed with flying colors. No longer available commercially, the 45-year-old Rioja no longer exhibited aromas of primary fruit, but with only slight browning at the edges, it was in excellent condition, showing pronounced notes of balsamic and forest-floor aroma, and a long, lingering finish.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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