A Great Unknown Winery in Rioja

A Great Unknown Winery in Rioja

July 10, 2009 ·

A few years ago we were at Eva Restaurant in Latona which is co-owned by James Hondros, our former wine manager. James poured us each a glass of Saturnia Crianza Rioja which we enjoyed so much that we took a bottle over to my late Dad’s house. After that, whenever I told my Dad I was coming over, he would ask if I could bring along some more bottles of those “saturn” wines.
When we chose our favorite bodegas to visit last month, naturally Rioja’s holy trinity headed the list: R. Lopez Heredia, producer of Vina Tondonia, La Rioja Alta and Bodegas Muga. (Interesting fact: the front doors of these wineries are only meters apart in Haro’s Railroad District where a hundred years ago, they loaded huge barrels of wine on flat cars and sent them off to France which was suffering the scourge phylloxera.)
But one of our most enjoyable visits was with Bodegas Ramon de Ayala Lete y Hijos, who make Vina Santurnia and Deobriga. Just across the Ebro river from Haro in the tiny town of Briñas, they have a new, functional winery nestled between houses on a side street. The modern winery replaced the old bodega which has a two story underground wine cave, now used for aging home-made Cava. Laboring in quiet obscurity, there are few visitors and no tasting room. However, 4th generation winemaker Ramon de Alaya was charming and hospitable during our 4 hour visit, as we visited the vineyards, the old bodega, tasted barrel samples and the most recent releases. The secret to his nuanced wines lies in his south facing vineyards which are nestled high up against the Sierra Cantabria mountains. His oldest vineyards were planted in 1936; the youngest vineyards are 30-40 years old. The vines, planted to a mix of traditional Rioja grapes, are overseen by Ramon’s grandson, a technical agronomist engineer. Minimal intervention is used in the vineyard, whose late ripening grapes achieve great depth and balance.
THE WINES OF VINA SANTURNIA

Stay ahead of the wine critics and try one of these little-known wines!
2004 Vina Santurnia Crianza Rioja ($15.99) Made of 100% Tempranillo, the Crianza has inviting fresh aromas, with flavors of bing cherry, boysenberry, toast and licorice. Notes of vanilla frame a persistent, earthy finish. Give it 20 minutes to open up and savor the complexity.
2004 Deobriga Seleccion Familiar, Rioja ($21.99) Spanish Table exclusive! The most modern style Rioja produced by Bodegas Ramon de Ayala Lete y Hijos, we jumped at the chance to carry this an an exclusive. Made from old vine Tempranillo and Graciano, it has complex flavors of blackberry, blueberry, hints of black olive and tobacco. A supple and full bodied Rioja, it is well balanced with notes of vanilla and minerals. An all around superb Rioja!
1999 Vina Santurnia Gran Reserva Rioja ($40.00) Notes of balsamic, plum and black cherry infuse this traditional style, medium bodied Rioja. Elegant, with notes of smoke and cedar that compliment silky tannins. Balanced and extremely well crafted, the Gran Reserva is smooth with a persistent finish. A knock out with any grilled meat.

Origin information: Spanish table in Seattle