2019 Ukan Rioja 750 ml

There’s a formula emerging for head-turning, critic-dazzling, collector-worthy reds from Rioja: 

Locate prime vineyard sites in the Rioja Alavesa village of Laguardia, the Rodeo drive of Rioja terroirs. Tap low-yielding 50+ year-old vines for stunning, concentrated Tempranillo grapes. Finally, age the wine in high-quality French oak, Bordeaux-style, rather than the American oak that is standard in the region. 

Collector-favorite Artadi has perfected this formula, and they get $200+ per bottle. That standard makes today’s 2019 Ukan Rioja—which comes from the Eguren family, one of the most storied in Spanish wine—one of the most exciting discoveries we’ve made this year. 

Crafted by the son and nephew of Marcos Eguren—widely regarded as one of the greatest winemakers in Spain—this stunning bottle was grown on vines aged 56-83 years, in one of the most magnificent Rioja vintages in a decade. It’s a double-94-point bottle that Jeb Dunnuck called “absolutely gorgeous on the palate,” praising its “Médoc, almost Cabernet-like style.” 

Like those of Artadi, the key to this wine is the concentration that can only come from very old-vine Tempranillo planted on clay-limestone soils. It comes from three different vineyards: Valderromán, planted in 1945, El Estado (1966), and the 83-year old Zarzamochuelo (1940). 

This is simply a TOWERING Rioja, built for the long haul. We couldn’t resist its aromas of red cherry, dill, fresh vanilla bean, fresh leather, dark plums, and fresh tobacco leaf, all overlaying a sweeping palate packed with flavors of fresh strawberry, sweet spices, rich blackberries, a touch of flint, and fresh violets. It’s a stunner that will pay dividends for those who tuck some away in the cellar.