Telmo Rodriguez, owner of Bodega Lanzaga and one of Spain’s most important and dynamic producers, is trying to reinvent the wines of Rioja. He focuses on terroir as opposed to the traditional emphasis on brand name and classifying wines by how long they age prior to release. So, you won’t see the traditional Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva, all indications of how long the wine was aged, on any of Bodega Lanzaga’s bottlings. Instead, echoing the Burgundy model, Rodriguez’s Bodegas Lanzaga names the wines by village or by individual vineyards. Lanzaga represents the pinnacle of his village wines, in his case from his home village of Lanciego. It represents the best grapes from four or five of his own top parcels in the village. (The other two bottlings in the village range, also from Lanciego, are Corriente, made from purchased fruit, and LZ, also made from Lanzaga’s vineyards). The robust 2020 Lanzaga, made from organic grapes, is rich and opulent, weighing in at a 14.5 percent stated alcohol. A lively mineral component balances its dark fruitiness. Finely textured tannins impart a silkiness on the palate while the alcohol is noticeable in the finish as a warming sensation. Not a “sipping” wine, the 2020 Lanzaga calls from hearty food this winter.
91 Michael Apstein – Sep 17, 2025