ABOUT: The Bodega Lanzaga vineyards are situated near the town Lanziego in Rioja Alavesa, managed by winemaking maestro Telmo Rodriguez of Remelluri fame. 15 hectares of certified organic, bush trained Tempranillo, Graciano, and Garnacha speckle the hillsides at different altitudes and soil types, giving different qualities which Telmo is the master of sorting out. Three different wines are made from these vineyards, the LZ being the fresh, unoaked expression of the regions fruit. LZ is fermented with native yeasts in small concrete tanks and aged for 6-7 months before bottled. Capturing the fruit of the vintage is goal, and though 2019 was a tricky vintage (hail, frost, short harvest window) the wines turned out exceptionally well. And again, another incredible value from Spain. We lucked out and got the last six bottles available to us, yours now if you want them. TASTE: "Very pretty and aromatic with plum and orange peel with floral undertones. Medium to full body, with very fine tannins and a beautiful, fine-grained finish. Drinkable now, but a year or two will really show it off. From organically grown grapes." James Suckling
"It was not an easy vintage in Rioja, where they saw drought, bad fruit setting and minor damage from frost and hail, all of which caused a reduction in yields. But the end of the season was dry, the grapes were healthy, and based on what I could see in this young red, the wines are moderately ripe and quite good. This comes from their own organically grown and head-pruned vineyards at 500 to 700 meters in altitude on limestone-rich slopes. It fermented in concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts and was kept in concrete for six to seven months. It's pure fruit, like biting into a bunch of ripe grapes, juicy and refreshing." Wine Advocate PAIR: Savory grilled beans, Manchego stuffed mushrooms, vegetable pistou soup, Paella with artichokes and olives, rosemary vegetable skewers, and a Cabrales cheese omelet.
