2015 Bodegas Olarra Reciente Rioja Gran Reserva 750 ml

Our Master Sommelier, Sur Lucero, brought this bottle into the office, the dust of Rioja still on his boots and bags under his eyes from a redeye flight. Pouring a dark ruby-red, the wine was an immediate sensation, knocking us off our feet with an intoxicating, classical bouquet of ripe black raspberry and plum tinged with resinous herbs. 

The heights this bottling will hit over the next seven to ten years will make you feel like you got in early on Tesla stock. But right now, already seven years in, this firmly structured red from a revered traditionalist house is already gorgeously composed, showing the richness and warmth of the vintage. Vinous, who praised it as “broad and chewy on the palate,” awarded it 93 points. 

Founded in 1973, Bodegas Olarra has been a mainstay in the subzone of Rioja Alta for nearly half a century, turning out top-flight reds from their striking winery, which sits across the winding Ebro River from the picturesque town of Logroño.

This Gran Reserva bottling is the house specialty. Sourced primarily from vineyards in Rioja Alta, it comes from vines that average 30 years of age and yield Tempranillo with a rich vein of power. The 2015 vintage helped pull extra detail and nuance out of the grapes as harvest was delayed well into late October. Racked into new oak barrels after a long rest on the lees, the wine saw over 25 months in a mix of barrels plus 45 months in bottle before release. 

How much longer it stays in your cellar is a question of just how long you can keep your hands off it.