2014 Bodegas Valoria Viña Valoria Rioja Reserva 750 ml

Bodegas Valoria’s wines are revered in their homeland, and since restaurants in Spain and the UK know how valuable these delayed-release reds are, it’s rare to run across them in the US. In fact, for over two years, we were told there were no bottles to go around. 

We’ve finally got their 2014 Viña Valoria Reserva, and it takes just one sip to see why these wines rarely escape European shores. 

This is the epitome of traditionally crafted Rioja Reserva, made by an exceptionally demanding producer that chooses to hold back their wines until they’re ready to drink—and the 2014 Viña Valoria Reserva is drinking beautifully right now. Boldly aromatic, showing classic Rioja dark fruit, spice, and earth, it enveloped us in the kind of character and complexity that only comes with rest in the cellar. 

Valoria’s commitment to aging their wines before release sets them apart, and it pays off big—but it doesn’t come with a bigger price. This table-ready gem is a steal for a wine of this quality, especially from a 150-year-old Rioja estate that Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called “one of the region’s stalwarts.”  

We first tried their hauntingly beautiful 1968 Gran Reserva a few years ago at a black-tie fundraiser that featured a slew of once-in-a-lifetime bottles. Unlike the rest of the names on our table that night, though, Valoria’s current releases are decently priced—but finding them for our members has proven to be as difficult as sourcing top Grand Cru Burgundy.

Grown on top vineyards in Rioja Alta, where iron oxides give the crumbly soil a burnt orange tint and thick Tempranillo vines crane their arms skyward under the hot Spanish sun, the 2014 is a powerhouse bottle that was worth the wait. The nose combines aromas of dark plums, cigar box, cured meat, and Jamaican allspice as only classic Rioja can. The tannins on the palate have softened nicely, but still support a powerful frame of red currant, black cherry, vanilla, leather, and violet flavors on a decadently long finish.

Bodegas Valoria doesn’t take the Reserva designation lightly. Once their Tempranillo arrives at the winery, individual clusters are sorted and only those with the smallest berries are deemed suitable for this wine. That ensures extra power and density, allowing the wine to thrive over 30 months of aging in traditional American oak and emerge with a perfect combination of power and silk—a hallmark of great Rioja.