Vivanco Rioja Crianza 2022

	Soft tannins; fruit and oak in nice balance
	Delicious with lamb or just outside of a meal
	Now beautifully drinkable

Bodegas Tempranillo

Deep red in color, delightful aroma of ripe red fruit, spices, and creamy oak. The palate begins smoothly and develops a beautiful, full flavor structure with plenty of aromatic length.

The Crianza from Rioja

This refined Crianza is a fine example of contemporary Rioja. So, definitely not a traditional wine, often aged too long in old oak barrels, with a somewhat stripped-down, dry flavor structure. The Tempranillo grapes are harvested late—as late as October—and come from their own vineyards in Rioja Alta.

After alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation follows in oak barrels, where the wine is then aged for approximately sixteen months. All cellaring processes, such as the traditional transfer from barrel to barrel, are performed without pumping and by gravity.

While this is an expensive and time-consuming process, it results in an exceptionally refined wine with a pure aroma and flavor. One of the most delicious Crianzas we know.

Vivanco: top producer of refined Rioja with French influences
English wine writer Tim Atkin ranks Rafael Vivanco high among the top 10 modern winemakers in Rioja. Rafael, one of the two sons of founder Pedro Vivanco, is restrained in the use of new oak and seeks to express the vineyard and grape varieties.

He harvests when the skins are perfectly ripe and therefore contain silky tannins. Rafael learned the modern winemaking method in Bordeaux, where he studied oenology and gained practical experience. He applies this knowledge in his new bodega, where he creates beautiful wines using a sophisticated blend of classic and modern techniques.